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Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of the nominees for Best News Piece at the U.K’s Anti-Slavery Day 2023 Awards in Parliament. She is a graduate of Durham University and completed her NCTJ at News Associates. You can get in touch with Jasmine by emailing jasmine.laws@newsweek.com. Languages: English.
Jasmine Laws
US News Reporter
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Ohioans under the age of 21 will no longer be able to avoid driving lessons or take a shortened course to get their license, after Governor Mike DeWine signed the state’s budget bill on Tuesday.
Previously, individuals aged between 18 and 20 could opt out of completing a full driver’s education course to obtain their license, as the law required only those aged 16 and 17 to do so.
Newsweek reached out to DeWine’s office via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The new rule has been brought in after the Ohio Traffic Safety Office found that last year, 58 percent of fatal crashes caused by teen drivers involved either 18-year-olds or 19-year-olds.
Research led by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) also found that individuals under the age of 18 who completed a full driver’s education course were less likely to be involved in a crash than 18-year-olds who were exempt from the requirement.
Their study showed that drivers who obtained their license at age 18 had the highest crash rates in the first year of licensure compared to all qualified drivers under the age of 25.
File photo of a student learning how to drive from an instructor.
Samuel Hoffman/The Journal Gazette via AP
What To Know
The previous law in Ohio mandated that those under 18 must complete 24 hours of classroom or online lessons, eight hours of driving lessons with a qualified instructor, 50 hours of driving with a parent or guardian, including 10 hours at night, and hold their temporary license for at least six months.
Those aged 18 and above did not have to meet the same requirements; instead, they could obtain their license by simply passing a road test. If they didn’t pass the test, they would then have to complete a four-hour course alongside participating in some training with an instructor.
The result of the law meant that many young Americans were waiting until they turned 18 to obtain their license, as the high costs of courses and lessons,