Road test waiver offers mixed bag of vehicular blessings for drivers, parents

Watch it on the roads! Teens 16 to 17 are now eligible for a road test waiver in order to receive their license. This waiver requires teens to have completed a Driver’s Education course, parent approval, behind the wheel training, and 50 hours of supervised driving. 

Driver’s Education teacher Stacie Brethouwer explained the decision-making process regarding the nascent waiver.

“The DMV was getting too much of a backup with students not being able to go out and take their road test, so they put in place the waiver as a pilot program,” she said. “The Wisconsin legislature voted, and it was supposed to be eliminated on January 1 of 2022, however, it is still in place as of today.” 

Principal Erin Kohl accredits the continuance of the rule due to issues with the staff at the DMV and recalls her own experience when the waiver had not been put in place. 

“When my kids took their tests they had to go through the traditional way, and it was really hard to schedule something outside of school hours,” she said. “So maybe that has alleviated some of the scheduling and staffing issues for them.”

English teacher Lori Moder has personally experienced this new rule since her daughter got her permit in March 2022. Moder and her husband signed off on the road test waiver, resulting in their daughter not having to take the test.

“We did not make her take the road test through the DMV,” she said. “We gave her a road test where my husband brought her out and did what the road test would’ve been. We signed off and had her get her license that way.” 

Kohl sees both sides of the new policy.

“It’s a little concerning that students don’t actually have to test out on their driving skills to get a driver's license,” she said. “However, I also know that now students can have their permit longer than they used to, so students have a whole year to practice driving, and if they are doing that they probably are ready to drive” 

Sophomore Joely Schelfhout disagrees completely with the idea of letting students waive their test.

“It defeats the entire purpose of safety when getting your license,” she said. “You should be able to drive safely under pressure to qualify for getting your license.”

Spanish teacher Richard Webster has concerns on the new rules and lack of strict restriction. 

“My experience with parents is that sometimes they will sign off without having their kid get full practice and this can lead to bad driving habits and students getting fined,” he said.

Although there are many concerns, Brethouwer has been informed that there haven’t been any serious issues from the road test being optional.

“Statistically, there are not any significant consequences because students aren’t taking the road test,” she said. “The only students that are allowed to have the waiver are 16 and 17 year olds that have gone through Driver’s Education, so they feel that because these students have had the extra instruction, they’re coming out as better drivers compared to any student who hasn’t taken the class or had 50 hours of driving.”

Schelfhout is concerned the policy will cause harm to the security of the roads.

“Unsafe teenagers would be driving on the road,” she said. “Just because they drove with an instructor six times, they shouldn’t be eligible to drive alone.”

Stress-wise, the lack of a driving test depletes the anxiety and pressure that many teenagers experienced years before, according to junior Aulona Hajdini.

“It is cool that we have the opportunity to have the road test optional,” she said. “The benefits are that students won’t have so much stress.”

Hajdini used the option to waive, and, ultimately, believes that it is up to parents to see if the student is ready.

“My parents and I thought that I was ready and good enough to not have to take the road test,” she said.

Kohl experienced a lot of stress involving her test, but she wishes that the rules for a permit would’ve been different when she was getting her license.

“It was nerve-racking and intimidating, having to get into a car with a stranger and drive,” she said. “What I wanted was that we could’ve had our permit when we turned 15 so I would've had an entire year to practice.”

Although the experience is stressful, Schelfhout plans on taking the test regardless as a means of promoting road safety.

“I have to take my test because my dad wants me to,” she said. “The test is the hardest part of driving and passing it would give me more confidence and make me a better driver.”

by: Jazbia Farooq

Published on March 17, 2023

Oshkosh West Index volume 119 issue VI