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A new state law goes into effect today that toughens the requirements for getting a drivers license. The intention is to make the streets safer. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies has the story.
March 1, 2010 · Starting March 1, anyone between 18 and 24 who wants to drive in Texas must take a six-hour drivers’ education course before they can receive a license.
Tela Mange is the spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety.
“We had folks who were waiting until they turned 18 to go take their driver’s test to get a driver’s license, but they weren’t taking driver’s education,” she said.
Mange said, although these people passed the DPS driver’s test to receive the license, they were missing important instruction about the rules of the road.
Nearly 20 percent of Texas car crashes in 2008 involved 18 to 24-year-olds, according to the state’s Transportation division.
“Hopefully is you’re taking a class — and paying attention — that there will be some things that you learn that will help you be a safer driver,” she said.
State Senator Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio authored the bill and said the law should make Texas roads safer.
“We learned that the kids that are 16 to 18 who are required to take a drivers education course are actually safer drivers than those who wait until they are after 18 who apply to be licensed,” Wentworth said.
When Wentworth was pushing for passage of the bill, he said he expected the required class to cost about thirty-five dollars. However, driver schools across the state are tending to charge a bit more for the class. A random check of schools found prices between 90 and 300 dollars.
Senator Wentworth said free market forces will push the price down.
“The government shouldn’t be in the business of setting those prices, and we’re not. If you and I are running competing drivers ed classes. I’m going to charge less than you do because I want business,” he said.
Robert Zaldivar is the owner of the Central Park Drivers School in San Antonio. He’s charging one hundred twenty-five dollars for the class, and he says that’s as cheap as he can make it.
“We had to have it at about that level because if a student comes in, and they’re the only ones and they need the course – we’re going to run it with just one student, and we have to handle the cost of the instructor that teaches the course and everything else so that’s why we have it at that price,” said Zaldivar.
Raul Reyna is the owner of a Texas Drivers School says the new law is proving to be a boon for his business. He said they’ve been swamped with calls from people wanting to sign up for the class.
“It’s good for our business, certainly, but by far its good for all Texas drivers because if we have more better informed drivers out there. That should help on the safety factor," he said.
Reyna said he expects the new law to boost his business so much he’s going to need to hire additional instructors.
NOTE: A driving safety course or drug and alcohol driving awareness program are not acceptable as driver education courses for this requirement. A list of approved courses can be found here.
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