Illinois state Rep. Roger Eddy (R-Hutsonville) wants to introduce a bill that would require all Illinois high school students to pass a drug test before they could receive their drivers' permits.
 
Eddy, who is also a school superintendent, says that "there's a real methamphetamine problem in rural Illinois . . . at that age when they're getting their learners permits," and hopes that his bill would deter students from using drugs. However, research has shown that random student drug testing is not an effective deterrent to drug use among young people, and there is no reason to think this bill would have a different result.
 
Administering drug tests to would-be drivers would instead likely burden schools with higher costs for driver education, while at the same time jeopardizing the relationship between adults and youth by sending teenagers the message that they cannot be trusted. And drug tests do not identify use and abuse of the drug teenagers most commonly consume: alcohol.
 
A more sound approach is to offer science-based education about drugs and give young people practical information that will help them stay safe. Regardless of whether Rep. Eddy's bill survives, lawmakers, school officials, parents and teens need to be aware of the best practices which effectively educate young people about drug use and abuse and keep them as safe as possible, both on and off the road.