> I'm not sure how "more expensive training" eliminates some people texting while driving.

You can do and the other. It's not about eliminating. If someone is great at something that doesn't mean that they're good at teaching that skill. Further, just because someone drove for a long time doesn't mean they're a good driver. Likely they've improved, but it hasn't been checked.

When I got my license I learned about a lot of changes that older drivers weren't aware of.

> But you do that at the cost of making getting a license more difficult, expensive, and exclusive

A country can change their car reliance. It's also strange to focus on the cost of the license, while not checking if better drivers would result in lower costs elsewhere. E.g. reduced accidents (lower insurance), less medical costs, etc.