The Driving Force

Nearly 14% Americans do not complete high school, according to data obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau. A 2006 study of dropouts found that 47% of respondents didn't find school interesting or relevant. This has led 27 states to enact so-called "No Pass No Drive" (NPND) laws, believing this to be a sufficient opportunity cost to dropping out. These laws often stipulate that students who either drop out of school or do not achieve "satisfactory academic progress" (each state has its own definition) should not be allowed to drive.

There are compelling reasons to prevent high school dropouts from driving. The New York Times, for example, reported in 2009 that 10% of dropouts are in jail compared to only 3% of their peers who stayed in school. Proponents of revoking these dropouts' driver licenses, such as state Sen. Frank Watson of Illinois, argue that revoking a dropout's license is an "incentive to encourage students to stay in school." What better incentive than to eliminate perhaps the strongest symbol of individualism? Indeed, psychologist Stefan Gossling argues that denying someone access to a car "represents a very powerful form of rejection." Proponents also argue that these kinds of laws could increase parental involvement in their child's education because, according to Missouri state Rep. John Quinn, "the last thing they want to do is taxi that kid around until they're 18." More parental involvement and fewer youth in jail or on the streets are certainly noble intentions. There is, however, a need to weigh these possible positives with the costs.

Central to the opponents' argument is the claim that these laws don't work. For example, one of the most famous instances of NPND occurred in West Virginia, where, according to statistics published in The Public Interest, 4,535 students dropped out of high school the year after it was enacted. Of those dropouts, West Virginia suspended only 687 licenses. How many dropouts returned to school? Only 242. Next year, the figure grew worse: 4,708 students dropped out; 3,557 students were reported to the DMV; 799 licenses were suspended; and 182 students returned to school. The gap between students reported to the DMV and licenses suspended came from the fact that many of them were either over eighteen or didn't have a license at all. Other states report similar results. Florida repealed its NPND law in 1996, citing its ineffectiveness. Many of these laws also needlessly punish students who dropped out because of financial reasons or to care for a sick family member. A 2006 study, for example, found more than 30% cited the need to get a job while another 20% said they dropped out to care for a sick family member.

While both sides' stories are persuasive, these laws are, at best, feel-good laws: a law we pass because it feels like something we should do. However, when the laws are scrutinized by the data, they simply don't hold up. These laws don't stop students from dropping out of school---most aren’t even punished! NPND wasn't the dropout cure that legislators wanted.

Despite the many compelling reasons for the state to want to reduce the high school dropout rate, No Pass No Drive simply doesn't accomplish its mission. Our limited resources would be better allocated by taking more effective measures to reduce the dropout rate, such as reducing poverty or providing ways for students to complete high school through other means. Dropouts should be allowed to drive, if only, because laws preventing them from doing so just do not work.