Higher fees, less support among changes in drivers' education

It’s different out there on the roads.

The cost and practice of getting a driver’s license in Whitman County has gone through some changes.

As recently as the 1970s, teens or their parents still paid as little as $5 to learn to drive and prepare for the all-important state test.

The state took care of the rest. Today, with state funding long since defunct, families pay $350 and, going against the national trend, local kids are still taught by the school districts. Many young drivers in more populated areas now learn at a private driving school.

Clara Higginson steps in for a driving session wi...