The Ohio Department of Public Safety and Governor Mike DeWine recently announced the availability of $4 million in grant funds to expand driver education resources throughout the Buckeye State.
The state’s new Creating Opportunities for Driver Education Grant Program “aims to provide more opportunities for teens to access affordable, quality driver education,” according to DeWine’s office.
The grant funds will specifically be awarded to “help educational service centers, school districts, and career technical schools establish or expand driver training programs in the high schools they serve.”
Awarded entities may use the funding to cover the cost of training vehicles, instructor salaries, online education, and other administrative costs.
“Driver training programs are critical to establishing safe driving habits for Ohio’s youth,” DeWine said. “By bringing more affordable training options to the schools where students are, more teens will learn valuable driving skills in communities where there is currently limited or no access to driver training schools.”
Qualifying entities must submit a proposal to the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) by December 15 in order to be considered for funding. The complete grant proposal and guidelines can be found on the “Driver Training Grants” page on OTSO’s website.
“Parents know the value and importance of driver training, which is why many schools in Ohio are experiencing long backlogs and delays,” OTSO Director Emily Davidson said in a statement. “More driver training schools and instructors mean more opportunities for students to get quality instruction to become safe, experienced drivers.”
The state’s new grant program comes at a time when there is a declining number of American teenagers aged 16-19 obtaining their driver’s licenses.
Data released by the Federal Highway Administration showed teenagers with driver’s licenses in the 16-19 age group declined from 64 percent in 1995 to 39.5 percent in 2021.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Teenage Driver” by State Farm. CC BY 2.0.
