DMV: Keep road test waiver for 16-, 17-year-olds
Last March when the COVID-19 pandemic caused Wisconsin to shut down, DMV administrators had a problem. How could they comply with COVID safety standards while avoiding a massive backlog of driving tests and license renewals?
Wisconsin's Department of Transportation responded by waiving the road test requirement starting May 11, 2020, for 16- and 17-year-olds to get their first probationary driver's license. Pending legislative approval, it would like to keep doing so.
Instead of passing a road test to get a license, the parents of 16- and 17-yearolds can sign a waiver, as long as the teenagers have had their instruction permit for a minimum of six months; have completed an approved driver training education course; and have completed 30 hours of supervised driving time with their parent or adult sponsor.
In exchange, the 16- or 17-year-old receives a probationary graduated driver license — the standard license for all new drivers under 18, which limits passengers to one person who isn't a family member or qualified adult, and includes restrictions on late-night driving.
“We feel confident allowing the waiver because we have very tight requirements for our new 16- and 17-yearold drivers and because the graduated license has additional restrictions and because most students pass the driver test on their first try,” said Kristina Boardman, DMV administrator for the Department of Transportation. “If the parent or guardian is comfortable with their teenager's driving ability after driving with them for 30-plus hours, we're comfortable accepting that.”
According to DOT data, 84% of 16and 17-year-olds passed the road test on their first try in 2019. That compares to a 68% first-try pass rate for those people over 18, who are not required to take driver's ed and who need to hold their learner's permit for only seven days before being allowed to take the road test.
While it's not traditional to get a license without a road test, it isn't a new consideration.
“There have been some legislative proposals over the years to do something similar to this,” said Boardman. “When we had to immediately think of other options due to the pandemic, we brought up the waiver process again and felt pretty confident because it's been used successfully in other states.”
Boardman said state statutes allow the DOT to run pilot programs, such as the waiver process, as well as allowing people to renew their licenses online, another program that was implemented during the pandemic.
That pilot process allows DOT to exempt people from typical requirements on a temporary basis while they study the issue, collect data and present reports to the Legislature.
After a year of the waiver process, DMV administrators are feeling comfortable with the data they’ve collected.
Boardman said the DOT has been monitoring crash statistics as well as convictions for traffic violations for the past year for any concerning trends. There haven’t been significant differences, with a 0.4% lower rate of convictions and a 0.5% lower rate of crashes for those who took the waiver vs. those in the same age range who took the test.
What about students who aren’t ready?
Mike Putchel, a driving instructor with Drive USA driving school, said crash statistics don’t capture the number of “near-crashes” that happen. He’s concerned there are a number of teenagers who would normally need extra practice beyond the typical driving school instruction who are instead receiving waivers to get on the road before they’re ready.
Some of Putchel’s students have told him their parents plan to give them their own version of the road test before signing the waiver, but he questions a parent’s ability to objectively evaluate their child’s skills.
“I don’t believe a parent can be unbiased,” said Putchel.
He and his fellow instructors have talked about instituting their own road test to be given at the end of the school’s driving lessons.
“If we did that, I think the students should take the test from a different instructor than their own because there’s probably even some level of bias there,” he said. “There’s just nothing better than having an impartial person give the test just like it’s always been done.”
Although the waiver started more than a year ago, 16- and 17-year-olds have been able to take the road test — with masks, open windows when possible and extra cleaning — since spring of 2020 if their parents requested it.
Jeremy Cain, owner of Crash Course driving school, thinks the ability to take the road test gives instructors an opening to address some of their concerns.
“If I could change the waiver in some way, I would want instructors to be able to flag a student and require them to take a road test,” said Cain. “80 or 90% of my students are good after the six hours of behind-the-wheel, but with some students, they need to practice more. We already flag students internally by sending an email to parents at the end of the lessons, and for some, we recommend that they take the road test. Most parents appreciate that.”
What about public input?
“If I could change the waiver in some way, I would want instructors to be able to flag a student and require them to take a road test. 80 or 90% of my students are good after the six hours of behind-the-wheel, but with some students, they need to practice more. We already flag students internally by sending an email to parents . ... Most parents appreciate that.”
Putchel is also concerned at what he sees as a lack of transparency in the waiver process — that it was instituted without public input or a vote.
“There’s been no public input on this,” Putchel said. “This is something that needs to be voted on since it affects everyone who shares the road with the people who have been given waivers.”
Boardman said there hasn’t been an end date set for the pilot project as the department works at collecting enough data to make sure it has valid results to submit to the Legislature when required to do so by the end of the year.
A pilot project cannot be made permanent without a vote by the Legislature — something that could happen since Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed budget includes a measure to make the waiver permanent.
If that happens, Boardman said DOT is open to feedback from driving instructors on how to improve the program.
“We have had some driver training schools come forward with some concerns, and they are of course rooted in safety,” said Boardman. “I think their concern is some people are not ready to drive independently and they notice that. We’re definitely open to the possibility of flagging teenagers if they need the test or if they need extra practice.”
Jeremy Cain owner of Crash Course driving school