For American teenagers, getting a drivers license is a right of passage. But is the allure and freedom of driving enough to keep students in school?

Illinois officials are hoping it is. A new state law will revoke the licenses of students who are expelled, drop out, or are chronically absent from school. The teens will have to wait until they are 18 to receive their licenses.

Last year, 24,000 students dropped out of Illinois schools. According to statistics, a loss of driving privileges likely will be the least of these teens’ problems if they don’t stay in school.

The median income of those 18 and older who dropped out of high school is $12,184, while the median income of those 18 and older who completed high school is $20,431, according to the National Drop Out Prevention Center. High school dropouts are also more likely to report being in worse health and comprise a disproportionably higher percentage of the country’s prison and death row inmates.

The National Drop Out Prevention Center also found about five of every 100 students enrolled in high school in October 2003 left without a diploma by October 2004. If a drivers license is enough to deter teens from dropping out, it may save them from a lifetime of unnecessary struggles.

Sarah Karlin, ASBJ intern