ESSB 5583 — Improving young driver safety.

What this bill does

Requires a person between 18 and 21 years of age to satisfactorily complete a driver training education course offered by a school district or a driver training school licensed by the Department of Licensing (DOL) to obtain a driver's license. Requires a person between 22 and 24 years of age to complete either a condensed traffic safety education course offered by a school district or a driver training school licensed by the DOL, or an online, self-paced condensed traffic safety education course offered by a driver training school licensed by the DOL, to obtain a driver's license. Expands the meaning of classroom instruction for all driver training education courses to include virtual classroom-based student instruction with a live instructor, and to also include self-paced, online components as authorized and certified by the DOL. Requires the DOL to establish a voucher program to cover the average cost of driver training education courses for novice drivers who reside in low-income households, subject to the availability of funds appropriated in the transportation budget. Requires the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, in collaboration with the DOL, to establish a grant program to facilitate schools providing traffic safety education programs as course offerings. Raises the driver's instruction permit fee by $12 to $37 and raises the new driver's license examination fee by $16 to $51, with a stated legislative intent to use half the revenue raised for the driver training education course voucher program and the other half for the traffic safety education grant program.

From the Washington State Legislature's nonpartisan staff bill analysis. Read the full analysis ↗

Floor votes

• House — Final Passage as Amended by the House · April 12, 2023
  93 yea · 4 nay · 1 not voting
• Senate — Final Passage as Amended by the House · April 19, 2023
  38 yea · 11 nay
• Senate — 3rd Reading & Final Passage · March 1, 2023
  41 yea · 7 nay · 1 not voting

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