Adolescent Driver Testing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Passing a driving test is no longer required for adolescents to obtain a driver's license in a number of US states, including Georgia, Wisconsin, and Texas, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescents in these states who have held a learner permit and completed the hours of supervised practice driving required by Graduated Driver Licensing laws are eligible to obtain a license to drive independently with the consent of their parent or guardian. Licensing agencies appear to have taken this extraordinary step to minimize the risks of COVID-19 transmission. In doing so, they have traded one public health threat for another. Rather than stop testing, states could take effective precautions to minimize transmission of COVID-19 and simultaneously reduce the risks posed to adolescents from motor vehicle crashes. Here, Ehsani discusses the need to resume adolescent driver testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.