Motor Vehicle Minor Driver Education Standards

Currently, a minor who is under 18 years of age may be issued a driver's license or temporary driver's license if the minor has held an instruction permit for 12 months and has completed 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours of night driving. To obtain an instruction permit, current law requires a minor to meet one of the following conditions:

• A minor who is at least 15 and one-half years of age but under 16 years of age must have completed a driver education course or a 4-hour driver awareness course; or
• A minor who is 15 years of age or older but under 15 and one-half years of age must have completed a driver education course, including 30 hours of driving instruction and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel driving training with a driving instructor, or, if the minor lives more than 30 miles from a business offering driving instruction, the minor may choose to have at least 12 hours of training from a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult.

Therefore, to obtain a driver's license, the minor must meet these requirements. The bill replaces the current requirements to be issued an instruction permit with requirements that a minor applicant 18 years of age or younger must:

• Complete a 30-hour driver education course, which may include an online course, approved by the department of revenue (department); and
• Receive at least 6 hours of behind-the-wheel driving training with a driving instructor or if the minor lives more than 30 miles from a business offering driving instruction, the minor may choose to have at least 12 hours of training from a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult.

The bill also adds a requirement that a minor who is 18 years of age or older and under 21 years of age must successfully complete a 4-hour prequalification driver awareness program approved by the department in order to be issued a driver's license or temporary driver's license.

The bill prohibits a person who has been convicted of certain violent or sexual crimes from providing behind-the-wheel driving instruction to minors and at-risk adults. A commercial driving school is prohibited from employing such a driving instructor to provide behind-the-wheel driving instruction to minors and at-risk adults. Each instructor employed by a commercial driving school must obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history record check to verify that the instructor has not committed a disqualifying crime.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)