Probably like a lot of you, Road Runner received driver’s education instruction as part of a high school curriculum.
In my case, the basketball coach taught the class. More accurately, he changed the film reels on an old projector to show classic driver’s education movies from the 1960s like “Drink, Drive, Rationalize” and “Red Asphalt,” then he went back to reading the sports pages.
After receiving this invaluable instruction, I studied the Department of Transportation test booklet, and when I was 15½, I took the written exam to receive my driver’s permit.
At 16, I took the on-the-road exam to earn my driver’s license, taking with me the lessons learned from weeks of viewing a collection of 20-year-old public service announcements that made up my high school driver’s education curriculum.
The Arizona Department of Transportation recently announced a new option for people who want to earn a driver’s license.
ADOT has said it would waive the written and on-road portions of the driving tests for people who complete their driver’s education through a certified private driving school.
“We just wanted to provide people with more options,” said Ryan Harding, public information officer with ADOT.
Arizona residents who attend classes at an ADOT-contracted driving school qualify for the waivers.
Students must complete at least 30 hours of classroom training and 10 hours of behind-the-wheel training if they plan to skip the exams.
Harding said that after the classroom work, students will receive a certificate they can bring to the Motor Vehicle Division and get a learner’s permit.
After the on-the-road training, the student gets a certificate noting completion of actual driving time and brings that to the MVD to get his or her license.
Harding said the additional time and attention students who attend private driving instruction academies receive add to their understanding of the rules of the road and serve as a benefit to the community at large.
“It helps improve public safety,” he said.
ADOT officials plan to monitor the work of private driving schools by requiring randomly selected certificate holders who come seeking a driver’s license to take the written or road exam at the MVD office.
The idea is to measure the quality of instruction the driving schools provide.
ADOT has provided this list of approved driving schools on its website at http://azdot.gov/apps/thirdpartyreportsviewpdf?lngReportImageID=2
Down the road
- Underground work continues for the installation of a permanent traffic signal at Sixth and Toole avenues, including the Sixth Avenue Underpass. The area will be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Wednesday.
- Work also continues on two stretches of Valencia Road — between Alvernon Way and Wilmot Road and from Mark to Wade roads.
