By Howard Fischer
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PHOENIX — A multiple fatality caused by a new driver in Mohave County will lead to a new requirement being added to what it takes for future Arizona teens to get a driver’s license.

Legislation given preliminary approval Thursday by the state House would mandate all would-be drivers pass an online course approved by the Motor Vehicle Division before being able to take the written and road portions of the test to get their first license.

That’s not required now. Instead, there needs solely to be a certification by a parent or guardian that he or she has taken the youngster out for 30 hours on the road, with 10 of those at night.

Amy Shuffler of Kingman told state lawmakers that is clearly not enough.
Her son 16-year-old son Brady was the driver of a vehicle with five other teens following a sports event last year. She said he was speeding, lost control and hit a utility pole, leaving two teens dead and two others seriously injured.

He now awaits trial on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.

Shuffler, sometimes tearful, told members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure that she blames herself.

“I would talk out loud to him as he would drive through the town,” she said.

“Slow here. Watch for this. That car is going to pull out in front of us. Be on the lookout here. That driver isn’t using his turn signal,” she recited, along with other warnings.

But Shuffler, who said she grew driving in a car that “barely had a radio that got two stations,” said she was ill prepared to teach Brady about the distractions of things like cell phones and online apps.

More to the point, Shuffler didn’t teach him that Arizona law says new drivers — those who have a Class G license — are not allowed to have any other teens in the car unless it is a sibling.

Rep. John Gillette, R-Kigman, the sponsor of House Bill 2833, said it is a question on the written test required by the Motor Vehicle Division. But he said that question, what with different versions offered, comes up only once every 45 times.

The legislation would require the Department of Transportation to select and approve providers to craft and offer a course. It could be in person or online but would have to be at least four hours. And it is structured so that, in the case of an online course, there are mechanisms to ensure the student is paying attention, like pop-up questions, and not simply turning on the computer and walking away.

And there would be a final exam to see what the student has learned.
Mike Williams, a lobbyist for traffic schools who has been working with Gillette on the plan, said this is about more than teaching just those special rules for motorists with Class G licenses. He told lawmakers there are other things new drivers don’t know.

For example, he said, some drivers, seeing those red and blue lights in the rear-view mirror, pull over to the left side of the road rather than the right.

Then there’s what someone should do when stopped, like staying in the car and putting hands on the steering wheel. And Williams said drivers also need to know when an officer asks to search the vehicle they have a right to refuse.

What is causing some opposition is the price tag.

“If we’re mandating something that they can’t afford, then what are they going to do?” asked Rep. Jevin Hodge, D-Tempe, during the committee hearing. He noted that failure to complete the course precludes someone from getting a license.

Gillette added a provision during Thursday’s floor vote to provide the course for free to anyone from a family whose income entitles the children to free or reduced-price school lunches. That can cover anyone up top 185% of the federal poverty level, or $39,000 for a family of four.

But the cost of those free courses will have to come from the fees charged to everyone else.

The legislation doesn’t spell out how much can be charged. But Williams said he expects it to be somewhere between $10 and $25.

A final House vote sends the measure to the Senate.