There are lots of costs involved in getting a car: insurance, gas, the car itself. And for teens, there’s another cost: driver’s education. According to Kathi Valeii, a Pacific Standard Magazine contributor, this last cost is not insignificant; in Valeii’s home state of Michigan, the various fees that go into driver’s ed for teens can rack up to $500. And for some people, that’s money they may not have on hand. 

“It’s kind of an example of the structural inequality that we see along racial and socioeconomic lines,” Valeii said in an interview with Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal. “And this is an interesting place where we see this, because it sort of creates that structural inequality for young adults, right as they’re starting to enter the job market.” 

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