For Immediate Release: July 18, 2024
Ohio Driver Training Offers Free Curriculum to Licensed Schools
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – In an effort to enhance Ohio’s teen driver training, the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) is now offering AAA’s nationally recognized driver training curriculum, How to Drive, free of charge to current and prospective driver training schools in Ohio. This new resource will support driver training schools, instructors, and students by providing turn-key, high quality educational content.
“In the past, driver training schools have had to either create their own lesson plans or purchase an Ohio-approved curriculum with Ohio-specific lesson plans,” said Emily Davidson, OTSO’s Executive Director. “Since we know lesson planning takes a considerable amount of time, our office aims to support these small businesses by providing a high-quality, free option for classroom and behind-the-wheel training.”
Recent research shows that Ohio drivers who obtain their driver license at 16 or 17 are less likely to be in injury crashes within their first 12 months of licensure, than those who are first licensed at age 18 or 19 when training is no longer required.1
To help more Ohio teens benefit from driver education, OTSO has identified three priority areas: more accessibility, increased capacity, and stronger education. OTSO has other grants that focus on capacity and accessibility, but this initiative was specifically created to help strengthen education. However, it will also help support the other two priority areas by helping new driver training schools get started quickly to help meet the demand of current and new students.
The AAA How to Drive Novice Driver Training Program is designed specifically to address the causal factors in young driver crashes and relies heavily upon scientifically reliable data to support driver education concepts, and teaching methods and techniques. It is the only officially nationally recognized curriculum that is endorsed by the American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA).
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As a division within the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) is dedicated to saving lives and preventing injuries on Ohio’s roads by using creative leadership, innovative education and comprehensive enforcement programs. OTSO strives to work in partnership with local, state and federal entities to advance equity in highway safety programs, ensuring they benefit all road users in Ohio. For FFY2024, OTSO awarded over $23 million in federal funds to 135 Ohio agencies for statewide programming to improve traffic safety and reduce traffic-related fatalities.
1https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2791283?resultClick=3
For additional information, contact:
Judy Converse
Public Information Officer, Ohio Traffic Safety Office
(614) 644-6052 – office
(614) 981-1751 - mobile
jlconverse@dps.ohio.gov
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