“We must help ensure that as our teenagers get older, they are safe while driving on Ohio’s roads,” DeWine said. “Unfortunately, current driver training programs are simply out of reach (financially) for many families. Now is the time to put driver’s education back into our high schools.”
DeWine proposed a new appropriation of $19.98 million in fiscal year 2026 and $29.6 million in fiscal year 2027, totaling a hair shy of $50 million over the biennium, for the Ohio Department of Public Safety to administer a driver training grant program for Ohio schools. His overall budget proposal will be reviewed and modified by the state legislature.
It’s not clear how many schools would be able to add the programs, though. Previously, school districts who are interested in adding driver’s education have cited issues finding instructors as reasons why they haven’t been successful in adding the programs.
Last December, DeWine stopped in Springfield to announce a driving simulator training program. In 2023, he announced $4 million would be available for existing driver’s education programs in schools.
In Ohio, there are two paths to getting a driver’s license. For anyone under 18, driver’s education classes and on-road driving hours are required before taking the tests. But adults can skip the classes and go straight to the tests. However, if they fail their first attempt at the maneuverability or road portion of the driving test, they have to take an abbreviated driving course.
In recent years, more people are bypassing the driver’s education courses and going straight to the driving test after age 18. DeWine has called for mandatory driver’s education for any new driver, no matter what their age.
The issue gained more prominence after a 2023 bus crash near Springfield when a Haitian immigrant’s car hit a school bus, killing one child and injuring several others. The man testified that he had a Mexican driver’s license and Ohio ID card, but no Ohio driver’s license. State officials say more immigrants, especially Haitians, are coming to the U.S. and driving without being familiar with Ohio’s driving laws.
A Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia study, published in 2022 using Ohio licensure data from 2018, found that students who took driver’s education classes before they got their licenses were less likely to crash than those who did not.
However, drivers’ education is both expensive and can have long wait times. Local classes cost between $500 and $700, which can be out of reach for some families. Insurance companies will also up-charge families with a driver who is learning, since young drivers have a significantly higher crash rate than older drivers.
Sharon Fife, president of D&D Driving Schools Inc., in Kettering, said many driving schools closed during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Afterward, the demand shifted onto those who were able to stay open.
Fife said there’s a longer wait for classes in Dayton’s southern suburbs than the northern suburbs. Huber Heights and Brookville, for example, have less current wait due to how many instructors are available. South of town students could see a wait of up to eight weeks, she said.
“Parents should realize that one of the highest risk ages is beginning drivers and older drivers,” she said. “Beginning drivers because they don’t have any experience, older drivers typically because their health is failing.”
Currently, only one high school in Montgomery County houses its own driver’s education course. Northridge High School is the last remaining school with a driver’s education teacher employed by the district, and it charges $50 for driver’s education, far less than other driver’s education classes. The remaining costs are paid by the district.
“Our community proudly supports our driver’s ed program despite that it’s not required,” said Andrea Townsend, Northridge’s spokeswoman. “Having driver’s ed at Northridge allows more students access to safe driving instruction.”
It’s not the same, but Kettering schools have housed driver’s education for the last three years, partnering with D&D Driving Schools to offer driving classes to students on-site. Tom Henderson, work-based learning coordinator for the Centerville-Kettering-Oakwood Career Tech Compact, which is based in Kettering, said Fairmont students get a $50 discount off the regular rate D&D charges, and students pay around $525 for the class.
Henderson said a state grant has allowed the school to pay $475 for students whose families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school asks everyone to put down a deposit of $50 when the student signs up for the class. Henderson said that has been helpful in providing more students with the opportunity, and it’s something that he hopes will continue in the future.
“It is convenient for students to take the classes by staying after school,” Henderson said. “D&D provides a discounted rate and they provide the instructor. This means that Kettering City Schools does not incur an added personnel cost of hiring an individual as a Kettering staff member.”
Fife said she had been approached by several districts about providing driver’s education classes at local schools, but so far has not expanded.
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