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by Alex Caperton
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the state will allocate funding to expand access to teen driver training for low-income families.
The governor announced on Monday that nearly $2.5 million in grant funding will go toward 35 school districts and government agencies through the Drive to Succeed Scholarship Program to help teens learn to drive.
“This program is already helping hundreds of teens learn skills to be safer drivers, and we are happy to help even more young people receive driver training,” DeWine said in a media release. “When young drivers know the strategies to stay safe on the roads, the roads are safer for everyone.”
This is the second round of funding for the program which was first launched by DeWine in 2022 to help teen drivers whose families are unable to afford the cost of a driving school. Officials say it's important to learn driving skills early on to build for a successful future.
"We know about half of Ohio teens obtain their driver’s license before they turn 18 which means they completed the mandatory requirements for licensure under Ohio law,” Ohio Department of Public Safety director Andy Wilson said. "But the other half who wait to get licensed are more likely to be involved in a crash in the first year they have a license. This is proof that driver training makes a difference.”
The funding is expected to help provide scholarships to more than 5,000 students across 43 counties.
