Should teen-aged high school dropouts be denied the right to a driver’s license?

If you are talking about parents denying their child the right to a license if he drops out, then that is the parents’ decision. If, on the other hand, you are asking whether the government should deny that right, I say absolutely not.

Driving may be a privilege, but you earn that privilege through the passing of tests designed to assess driving ability. Finishing high school is not a prerequisite for taking the driving test or getting a license; otherwise, the driving age would be 18.

As for denying a privilege for not completing an obligation, that is appropriate in some cases. However, if a student drops out once he is no longer compulsory school age, then he has, in fact, met his legal obligation. He is no longer REQUIRED to attend school. So that argument is null and void.

If he has not fulfilled his obligation to his parents, then they have the right to determine an appropriate consequence.

On another note, I want to address this statement:

“Why get a driver’s license then? You have nowhere to go…well nowhere that will benefit you in the long run.”

Why would someone who chooses to leave school (and there are many reasons people do this, contrary to what most people seem to think) have nowhere beneficial to go? Some people drop out and get a job, or go to community college, or learn a trade. If you deny them a means of transporting themselves without being dependent on someone else, you seriously hinder their ability to become productive members of society. This is not beneficial in any way, and is actually detrimental to them and to society as a whole.

It depends on the case. I know people who have dropped out because their families cannot afford to have them in school. They still work towards there GED, but they need a job so their family can get money.

So it really depends on the case. I think that if they are between the ages of 16 and 18, and are not working towards a high school diploma or GED, then yes, they should be deprived of the right to a drivers license, but it really all depends on the case.

Driving is a privilage, not a right.

I think that’s incredibly insane, how will they be able to travel even to family who might live 20 miles from them? Just because they didn’t graduate high school doesn’t mean they have to be punished for it by not being allowed to drive or denied from getting a driver’s license, I don’t think it’s fair all.

Considering driving is a privilege and not a right, I do think they should be denied. I understand special circumstances (i.e. family emergencies, illness) but dropping out just because you hate school is no excuse. If you cannot responsibly complete your high school education you do not deserve a license.

Just for age purposes here, I’m 26.

I don’t think the students that are in school should have a driver’s liscence. They are a menace to the kids that choose to ride bikes to school.

Bicycling would be good for them, especially the kids on the football team. I think footballers are funny looking because they have these enormous arm and chest muscles, but they are standing on legs that look like toothpicks (compared to my cycling legs). And half of them get a knee injury.

As long as the kid passes the DMV test (both written and road test), he should be able to drive. But no one should bring a car to the high-school.

Get a moped, you can drive a moped with a permit from the DMV.

And it’s bad for a teenage driver to have teenage passengers, they create a distraction. Several states have banned teenagers from carrying teenage passengers.

Yes. Why get a driver’s license then? You have nowhere to go…well nowhere that will benefit you in the long run. But on the other hand maybe they should, just in case an emergency happens. There are many situations…so yes and no.

Yes I believe so. I was even a drop out, my senior year I left due to issues with credits and I decided to get my GED later on. I think that denying someone a privilege because they didn’t complete an obligation is completely fair.

in many cases, ya. they think dropping out is easy and that they can just go on with their lives. denying their license will make them go back to school. however, there are cases where maybe they had to stop school(they got ill, etc), so that wouldnt be fair.

im 17

Well as long as they do good on the test, no one should be denied a driver’s license!

Sure !! They are not responsible or smart enough to take advantage of a free education then they should wait until they are 21 to drive on city streets. If you can’t wait then join the Army and drive a jeep . Or take the bus and leave the driving to us. ( adults)