The Brief
- House Bill 1878 expands mandatory driver’s education to drivers up to 21 years old by 2030, and introduces safe driving courses for young drivers with traffic tickets.
- The law aims to reduce high crash rates among young drivers by offering vouchers for driving school costs, online courses, and accommodating training hardships.
- Concerns about online instruction quality persist, with suggestions for partnerships with commercial driving schools to address public school program challenges.
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Young drivers will eventually have to get more traffic safety education under legislation signed into law this month.
House Bill 1878, which got Gov. Ferguson’s approval on May 17, annually expands mandatory driver’s education to drivers up to 21-years-old by 2030, starting with 18-year-olds in 2027. Right now, only 16 and 17-year-olds have to take driver’s ed before getting their first license.
The bill also requires safe driving courses for young drivers who accumulate traffic tickets. And starting in 2031, drivers under 21 will be required to take a traffic safety “refresher course” to retain their license.…