The bill amends Section 31-10-20 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-10, which pertains to the requirements for obtaining a limited-instruction permit or license for drivers under the age of eighteen in Rhode Island. It acknowledges that the Rhode Island Department of Education has allowed driver education schools to deliver a 33-hour driver training curriculum virtually since April 2020. The virtual instruction has been found to be effective, with comparable exam scores to in-person instruction, and offers benefits such as accessibility, equity, and inclusion, especially in rural areas or where classroom instruction is not available.

The bill introduces new legal language that permits the driver education course requirement before licensing to be conducted either in a classroom setting or in an instructor-led virtual format. This virtual format is authorized for a period of two years following the enactment of the act, after which the state board of education must provide a report analyzing the test results of virtual instruction compared to in-person instruction. The bill also includes provisions for the content of the driver's education course, including information on the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act and the comprehensive community-police relationship act of 2015. The act is set to take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
7767  SUB A: 31-10-20
7767: 31-10-20