Latest news with #OhioTrafficSafetyOffice
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ohio budget changes driver's education requirements. Here's the new law
All Ohioans under 21 will need to pass a full driver's education course before they get a license. The two-year state budget signed by Gov. Mike DeWine modifies current law, which allows 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds to take a short class or avoid lessons altogether. DeWine spent months advocating for the change, saying new, adult drivers need just as much training as teenagers. "We know that young people who go through driver's training become safer drivers − safer for themselves and safer for everyone else on the road," DeWine said during a July 1 news conference. "And that's not just true for young people. It's true for adults." Right now, Ohioans under 18 must take a driver's education course with 24 hours of classroom or online instruction and eight hours of driving time. They also have to drive 50 hours with a parent or guardian − including 10 at night − and hold their temporary permit for at least six months. Adults, by contrast, can skip training altogether if they pass a road test. Those who don't must complete a four-hour course, plus abbreviated behind-the-wheel training with an instructor or licensed driver. DeWine said the consequences are clear: Last year, 58% of fatal crashes caused by a teen driver involved 18- and 19-year-olds, according to the Ohio Traffic Safety Office. More adults are getting driver's licenses for the first time, in part because teenagers wait to avoid the cost of a full course. Driving schools are also less accessible to people in rural areas. Lawmakers scrapped a budget proposal from DeWine to put driver's education back in schools. Instead, the state will require districts to excuse high school students who take a private driving course. Students can only miss eight hours of school and won't be able to leave during a core class. State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@ or @haleybemiller on X. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio will require full driver's education course for people under 21
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
DeWine launches campaign to help parents with teen driving
BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN)- This week, Governor DeWine is launching a campaign to encourage parents to practice driving with their teens. The Ohio Traffic Safety Office says that parents don't spend enough time teaching their children to drive. This push to encourage parents to practice driving more with their teens comes at an appropriate time. We're now in what's known as the '100 Deadliest Days of Summer', the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day, where there's an increase in deadly crashes, particularly for teen drivers. The main point made through this campaign is that teens spend a lot of time practicing sports and extracurricular activities, and the same amount of effort should be put into practicing and learning how to drive. Governor DeWine says it's equally important that parents put in the effort, too. Ohio law requires teens to have 50 hours of driving practice with a parent or guardian to get their probationary license, but the state thinks people aren't hitting this mark. In Ohio in 2024, there were 97 deadly crashes involving a teen. 67 of those crashes were determined to be the fault of the teen driver. 34% of at-fault teen drivers involved in fatal crashes received no driver education. This is all according to the state, the Department of Public Safety, and OSHP's crash dashboard. The state has created some driver training videos and resources specifically for parents to help guide them through teaching their teens to drive. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Safety encouraged after 2 deadly motorcycle crashes in past 3 days
Safety is encouraged after two deadly motorcycle crashes in the past three days. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] We are looking at the concerns that drivers and riders have, and what everyone can do to stay safe on the roads this morning on News Center 7 Daybreak from 4:25 a.m. until 7 a.m. TRENDING STORIES: Police looking for man, woman accused of paying $1K less for items after altering barcodes Officers, medics respond to reported shooting in Dayton neighborhood 3 climbers die in rock climbing accident; 1 survivor These crashes come as May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. News Center 7's Xavier Hershovitz says that Ohio has the fifth most motorcycle riders, according to Motorcycle Ohio. As previously reported by News Center 7, a person died after a motorcycle crash on Frederick Pike and Rivers Edge Boulevard. Ohio leaders are encouraging motorcycle riders to be safe this month. 'The Ohio Traffic Safety Office wants to remind all drivers to look twice when they are out on the roads,' said Michele Piko, Motorcycle Ohio Statewide Coordinator. 'You might just save someone's life.' Hershovitz says the Ohio Traffic Safety Office is encouraging riders to wear helmets. We will update this developing story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New program offers scholarships for teen drivers ed courses
Students across Ohio have the opportunity to have their driver training paid for through an Ohio Traffic Safety Office program called Drive to Succeed. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The program's goal is to make driver training more accessible for low-income teens through Drive to Succeed's local scholarships. TRENDING STORIES: 1 hospitalized after apparent road rage shooting in Dayton Automated freight trucks deployed on I-70 Damage reported after strong storms move through region OTSO says the average teen driving courses cost between $300-600. They are establishing this scholarship program to cover the costs of these courses. The grants are available to local government agencies, like police departments and health departments, and will then be awarded to individual students through those agencies. Eligible students are those who have demonstrated financial need, like free school lunch or SNAP, and have not had driving training. For more information on Drive to Succeed, click here. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
Patrol increased in Mercer County for holiday weekend
Mar. 14—CELINA — Mercer County Sheriff Doug Timmerman reports his office will have extra deputies patrolling Mercer County during the St. Patrick's Day weekend. The department will once again be participating in the St. Patrick's Day Blitz as part of a grant through the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO), from March 14-17, he said. "We will have deputies assigned to specific areas around the county to have an increased traffic visibility. They will be looking for impaired, aggressive and criminal-based drivers, as well as distracted drivers and seat belt usage," Timmerman said. "The purpose of this is to reduce traffic crashes, and identify unsafe driving in Mercer County." Featured Local Savings
