Parents should not teach driver education

In 1963, I was the director of education and a consultant with the Washington, D.C.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. During that year, our company was contacted by the Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Iowa Department of Education to assist with a public education program that would result in legislation requiring high schools in Iowa to teach a comprehensive course in driver education and passage of the course would be required before issuance of a drivers license.

At that time, the insurance industry in Iowa cooperated with the above two state departments in drafting such legislation. An advisory committee was composed of the Safety Education Department at Iowa State Teachers College, the safety education division of the Iowa Department of Education, classroom teachers in the public schools and the director of safety from the National Automotive Safety Foundation. This committee provided its report to the two state departments and legislation was passed requiring completion of driver education.

A bill has been introduced to the Iowa Legislature permitting parents to teach their children how to drive. This would be a tremendous mistake. There is no question in my mind that a certified driver education teacher would do a better job than an emotional parent. Permitting parents to teach driver education is a huge step backward.

Iowa teachers should teach driver education and parents should support them.

Jim Berry

Iowa City