Suspended road tests give teens easier route to licenses
Associated Press
Teens across the country waiting anxiously to get their driver’s licenses were disappointed when most state motor vehicle departments suspended road testing for weeks and sometimes for months after the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March.
While many states have since returned to road testing, several others have opted to waive that requirement and allow teens to get their license anyway, at least for a time.
That’s only fair, state officials say. The teens typically have completed many hours of classroom instruction and supervised driving time. They need a license to get to jobs and help their families by running errands. In some states, new drivers ages 18 and over also can get waivers. The biggest impact, though, is on teenagers, since among new drivers, they take most of the road tests.
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Suspended Road Tests Give Teens Easier Route to Licenses
A 14-year-old girl in Guttenberg, Iowa, works with her driver’s education instructor. Several other states are allowing teens to get their licenses without having to take a road test.
Jessica Reilly
Telegraph Herald via The Associated Press
Teens across the country waiting anxiously to get their driver’s licenses were disappointed when most state motor vehicle departments suspended road testing for weeks and sometimes for months after the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March.
While many states have since returned to road testing, several others have opted to waive that requirement and allow teens to get their license anyway, at least for a time.