Drivers ed now required for drivers under 21 in Ohio; state unveils new app

“Frankly, we’ve seen far too many teens waiting to get their license until they turn 18. What was happening was a number of teenagers just didn’t ever get driver’s training,” DeWine said.

Now, any Ohioan aged 16 to 20 seeking a license must get a temporary driver’s permit, take 24 hours of classroom instruction, eight hours of in-car instruction, and 50 hours of supervised driving practice.

This change comes alongside another administrative tweak that requires temporary driver’s permit holders to submit an itemized log of their driving experience to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles before getting a license.

Previously, temporary permit holders were required to submit a formal affidavit attesting to the completion of 50 hours of practice driving time.

“I think this will increase compliance, frankly, I think it will increase the number of hours that kids are actually behind the wheel with the parent in the car,” DeWine said. “If someone wants to game the system, they can always game the system, there’s no doubt about that. But I just think this brings a sense of discipline and I think we will see an increase in the number of hours that are actually driven.”

New app

DeWine called the state’s new app, which will be an entirely voluntary tool for learners, as a first-of-its-kind in the country.

Ohio Public Safety Director Andy Wilson noted that the app, in part, “teaches the parents how to teach their kid to drive in kind of a consistent, evidence-based process.”

The app can also provide users with voluntary lessons and a function to export recorded practice drives as part of the new BMV affidavit requirements.

Emily Davidson, director of the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, said the state will not receive any of the app’s telematics data on specific drivers.