Ohio Graduated Drivers
Licensing Ohio is part of the growing List of states that have enacted some form of graduated licensing for teenage drivers. Graduated licensing allows young drivers to improve their skills and driving habits, and restricts nighttime driving, when most teen driver accidents occur. As of December, 1998, at least 24 states have enacted or are in the process of enacting some form of graduated licensing including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and Ohio.
What is graduated licensing?
Stage 1: Learner's permit. Components of this stage include requiring teen drivers to pass vision and knowledge tests; driving with a licensed adult age 21 or older and requiring that all occupants wear seat belts. Other requirements include a blood alcohol concentration (BAG) level set at zero or near zero tolerance, that the young driver remain traffic offense and alcohol offense free in order to move up to next stage and that the permit's appearance is distinctive from other drivers licenses.
Stage 2: Intermediate or probationary license. Drivers complete Stage I and pass a road test. It requires that all occupants wear seat belts, that state laws address a BAG level at zero or near zero tolerance, that a licensed adult be required to accompany the teen driver during late night hours, and that the driver remain traffic offense and alcohol offense free for 12 months in order to obtain a full license.
Stage 3: Full-privilege license. Available at age 18, and requires completion of the probationary licensing stage.
Graduated Licensing systems are not a panacea, but they can reduce the motor vehicle injury problem for young people. In states that have elements of graduated licensing, the benefits are becoming evident. In Oregon administrative costs for its graduated licensing program were estimated at $150,000, while the benefits were estimated at nearly $11 million. This amounts to a cost-to-benefits ratio of better than I to 74. Maryland and California also report lifesaving and injury reducing benefits well in excess of administrative costs.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 41% of teenage motor vehicle deaths occur between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Studies of night driving curfews indicate that crash reductions of 60% or more can be achieved during restricted driving hours. Ohio's graduated licensing law includes nighttime curfew restrictions. Low BAG thresholds for young drivers also reduce the problem. In Ohio, an underage person who has a BAG level of .02 or more faces penalties under a charge called Operating a Motor Vehicle After Underage Alcohol Consumption or OMVUAC.
The first phase of the law, effective July 1, 1998, dealt with curfews, who was required to be with a temporary permit driver when operating a vehicle and the age at which a temporary permit could be obtained. The second phase dealt with the introduction of an intermediate license, called a probationary drivers license, and changes to the drivers training education program including additional driving experience requirements.
When the law was fully enacted on January 1, 1999, Ohio became one of II states with a three stage program consisting of a temporary permit, probationary (intermediary) license and a full privilege license. To assist with consumer inquiries regarding the law, the Ohio Department of Public Safety began operating a hotline to respond to questions. The toll free number is 1-800-462-2269.