COLUMBUS, Ohio – Want to skip taking your driver’s test? It could become a reality under a proposal in the new two-year state budget.
The plan is to change the state’s driver training, testing and safety efforts that officials call “the most comprehensive” ever made.
The state Department of Public Safety is also proposing more fines for distracted driving, with the money going to help subsidize driver’s education courses for those who can’t afford them.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Drive Toward a Safer Ohio initiative is part of the public safety agency’s budget and includes changes to driver training, driver testing and driver safety.
One part of the plan proposed on Wednesday would allow courts to levy an additional fine for distracted driving, much like additional fines are allowed for speeding in a construction zone. There are no estimates of how much those fines would generate or what violations would draw the fines.
Public Safety Director John Born told the House Finance Committee that the agency wants to “raise the bar, raise the standards and create more consistency” when it comes to driver’s education.
The plan, which needs lawmakers’ approval as part of Gov. John Kasich’s overall proposed budget, also calls for additional fines for distracted drivers that would help subsidize driver’s education courses for those who can’t afford them.
Part of the plan would allow first-time drivers to skip the maneuverability and driving test by taking a certified advance driving course.
Those younger than 18 would still have to complete regular driver’s education, which includes 24 hours of classroom or online instruction as well as 10 hours of behind-the-wheel training in addition to 50 hours of driving with a parent or guardian. Currently, only 8 hours of behind-the-wheel training is required.
Those who opt to take the driver’s test would have to take a simulated test “to determine the applicant’s ability to safely drive under various simulated driving conditions” before hitting the road as well, according to the plan.