- Starting late September, Ohio will require anyone under 21 to complete full driver’s training.
- Some say it will improve safety, others argue it could hurt the workforce and burden families.
- Compared to nations like Germany, American licensing standards nationwide remain low.
At the end of September, getting a driver’s license in Ohio isn’t going to be as simple as rolling into the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), passing a written test, and hitting the road for those under 21. A new law tucked into House Bill 96 requires anyone under the age of 21 to complete the same driver’s education requirements as teenagers before getting a license. Maybe that shouldn’t be controversial, but it’s already proving so.
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Essentially, the new law means that anyone under 21 has to get 24 hours of classroom instruction, eight hours of behind-the-wheel training from a licensed instructor, and 50 hours of adult-supervised driving practice. Undoubtedly, that comes with a financial burden. Driving schools in Ohio charge north of $400, but state leaders say the benefits outweigh the cost.
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“Young people who go through driver’s training become safer drivers, safer for themselves and safer for everyone else on the road,” Governor Mike DeWine said when signing the budget in July.
Since 2020, Ohio has recorded some 200,000 crashes involving teens, including 600 fatalities. “We have so many young people turning 18, never taking driver’s training, and they go in and ultimately — sometimes after many failures — pass,” DeWine said to the Ohio Capital Journal. “Not acceptable.”
Concerns from Business Leaders
The law has already sparked debate. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce argues that the change could limit workforce participation, particularly for 18-20-year-olds in rural areas without easy access to driver’s education. Tony Long of the Chamber warned that industries relying on young workers, like restaurants, hospitality, and seasonal jobs, could feel the pinch.
DeWine counters that his original proposal included adding driver’s ed back into public school, a measure that lawmakers stripped out of the bill. Both business leaders and parents who support the idea agree that if training is mandated, it should be accessible and affordable.
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Low Standards?
From a broader perspective, it’s worth noting that the U.S. already has what some would call comically low standards for licensing. Germany, for example, requires far more rigorous and expensive training, and it results in lower crash rates among young drivers. By contrast, even under this new law, anybody over 20 who can pass a multiple-question written test and a simple eight-point driving test at the BMV can legally get a license in Ohio.
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Credit: Ohio Traffic Safety Office
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