Secretary Benson calls on Legislature to make driver’s education more accessible and affordable for Michigan families

DEARBORN, Mich. – Today, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson visited Fordson High School in Dearborn, where she urged the Legislature to adopt policies to make driver’s education more accessible and affordable for teenagers and their families. She was joined by Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, Westland Mayor Kevin Coleman, school administrators, local leaders, and students calling for additional funding and reforms.  

“Driver's education is not just a rite of passage for teenagers, it's an open door to jobs, sports, activities, and independence. It's a key part of how we keep our young people safe on the roads,” said Secretary Benson. “Every young Michigan driver deserves the opportunity to learn how to drive safely and every family deserves access to high quality, convenient driver’s education in their community.” 

Dearborn Public Schools and Wayne-Westland Community Schools are two of the few districts in the state that provide school-based driver’s education for their students. Both districts receive state-funded pilot grants sponsored by Michigan Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) to support their programs. The Amity Foundation provides additional philanthropic funding for driver’s education at Dearborn Public Schools. Without support from the state Legislature, funding for the Dearborn and Wayne-Westland programs will expire at the end of the fiscal year.  

“Expanding driver's education for students is about safety, opportunity, and independence for Michigan families," Sen. Camilleri said.  “I’m proud of the work we’ve done in the Legislature to expand access. During our time in the majority, we invested $4.5 million to fund driver's ed pilot programs across southeast Michigan, but to ensure every family in the state has access to affordable and successful driver's education, we must sustain and expand funding for driver's training in schools. I want to thank Secretary Benson and her team at the Michigan Department of State for being strong partners in advocating for this crucial service.” 

“Dearborn is the capital of young drivers,” said Dearborn Mayor Hammoud. “Roughly 50% of our population is under the age of 28 and so you have to imagine that speeding and reckless driving are a top concern for us in the city administration. One of the ways that we can help combat that is by bringing back a rigorous, quality driver's education program funded through our school system. Each and every way that we're able to reduce costs, bring about affordability and address these kitchen table economic issues for families, we'd be delivering a win for Michigan families.” 

"If you meet students where they already are and provide this training in the classroom, you get more students who are going to have good quality, proper training,” said Westland Mayor Coleman.  “It makes our roads safer, it increases participation in jobs, education and after-school activities and any extracurricular activities that otherwise they might not have access to. Our message is simple: drivers training should be accessible, equitable and available to all students. We urge our partners to continue supporting what works and keep Michigan moving.” 

Benson and community leaders called on state lawmakers to approve $5 million to sustain the existing driver’s education programs in Dearborn and Wayne-Westland schools and to expand similar programs statewide. Benson is also working with Michigan Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) on legislation to streamline the process to become a qualified driver’s training instructor, addressing a critical labor shortage that creates driver’s education deserts across the state. 

“We need this funding. It is very expensive, as families know who have had to pay for their child to go through driver's ed, and it is a big barrier for many of our families,” said Maria Mitter, Wayne-Westland Community Schools Outreach and Strategic Project Supervisor. “Many of them cannot afford the cost for driver's education. So, we saw the importance of it, and our legislators, thankfully fought for this funding, and we were able to serve almost 500 students over the course of about a year and a half to get them into driver's education.” 

In 2004, Michigan shifted the burden and cost of driver’s education directly onto teens and their families. The first segment of driver’s training costs families as much as $650, not including the second segment of training, road test, or transportation getting students to a driver’s training site.  

The cost of driver’s education programs has reduced the number of Michigan teens willing and able to obtain their first-time driver’s license. In 2000, 66% of eligible Michigan teenagers obtained their driver’s licenses, according to Michigan Department of State (MDOS) records. By 2021, that number dropped to 56%. 

Michigan – share your story! 

How much has your family paid for driver’s education? Have you struggled to find programs in your area? What would more accessible and affordable driver’s ed mean for you? Secretary Benson invites Michiganders to share your own stories and perspectives. Upload a video on social media, tagging @michigansos on Instagram and @michigansecretaryofstate on TikTok or email us at [email protected] with the subject line: MI Driver’s Ed.