(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson today announced more than $4.5 million in grant funding to increase the number of quality teen driver training programs in Ohio.
A total of 34 grants will be awarded through the Creating Opportunities for Driver Education (CODE) Grant Program to increase driver training capacity at nearly 100 locations throughout Ohio. Grant recipients, including current and prospective driver training enterprises, educational service centers (ESCs), school districts, and career technical schools, can use funds toward the cost of training vehicles, instructor salaries, online education, and other administrative costs.
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“Ohio’s driver training programs help young drivers develop responsible road habits, while also laying the foundation for a lifetime of safe and confident driving,” said Governor DeWine. “More students in underserved areas will now have access to this vital training, allowing them to contribute to a safer, more informed generation of drivers.”
“We know many teens in Ohio are waiting until they are 18 to get a driver’s license either because they can’t afford training, they do not have a local driving school, or the wait list for training is too long,” said Wilson. “The CODE Grant program is not intended to replace current driver training schools, but to increase capacity in an overburdened system and fill training gaps across the state.”
The grant program was funded in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly and is administered by the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO), which increased the total awards from $4 million to $4.5 million in response to the significant number of quality grant applications. Grants were awarded based on the amount of funding available and community need.
This announcement follows a number of traffic safety initiatives for young drivers announced by Governor DeWine, including the “Drive to Succeed” program, which was developed to allow eligible teenage drivers from low-income families to attend driver training classes at no cost to their families.