Driver Training Education—Generally. The Department of Licensing (DOL) requires persons under the age of 18 to obtain an instruction permit, and to complete a driver training education course, to be eligible to obtain an intermediate driver's license. These requirements do not apply to persons aged 18 or older. Private driver training schools and some school districts offer driver training education courses.
Driver Training Education—Curriculum. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and DOL are required to jointly develop and maintain a required curriculum for school districts and approved private schools operating a traffic safety education program. The director of DOL is responsible for the administration and enforcement of laws pertaining to private driver training schools and driver training education courses, and may adopt and enforce administrative rules related to these laws.
DOL must develop and maintain a basic minimum required curriculum for school districts and private driver training schools. The minimum length of instruction, as set by administrative rule, is 30 hours of classroom instruction, six hours of driving experience, and four hours of driving observation time.
Classroom instruction may be offered through in-person, classroom-based instruction or virtual classroom-based student instruction with a live instructor, as set by administrative rule. The classroom portion may also include self-paced, online components as authorized and certified by DOL.
Driver Training Education—Subsidy Programs. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is required to contract with a private nonprofit organization to provide driver's license support for foster youth, subject to appropriation. Such support includes the reimbursement of fees required for a foster youth under the age of 18 to complete a driver training education course.
The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is required to provide vouchers to cover the cost of driver training education courses for minors enrolled in a state-registered apprenticeship program, subject to appropriation.
Driver Training Education—Agency Review. In 2023, the Legislature directed DOL to develop a comprehensive implementation plan to expand driver training education requirements for persons to acquire a driver's license between the ages of 18 and 24, with a target implementation date of July 1, 2026. The implementation plan was also required to include consideration of courses that could satisfy the new requirement; an assessment of public and private resources needed to support the new requirement; an evaluation of course access and opportunities to improve it, in consultation with the Office of Equity; a plan for public outreach and education; an exploration of a facilitating role for educational service districts; an examination of opportunities to address financial need through a grant, voucher, or other financial assistance program; and an assessment of approaches used by other states. The Legislature added other plan requirements in 2024, and the final report was delivered to the Legislature in December 2024.
Driving Training Education—Persons 18 and Over. To obtain an initial driver's license, the following persons must complete a driving training education course offered by a school district, approved private school, or private driver training school, or an online, self-paced driver training education course as defined by DOL:
DOL must report annually, beginning January 1, 2026, until January 1, 2031, to the transportation committees of the Legislature on implementation of the new mandatory driver training education schedule, including the readiness of the private driver training schools to accommodate growth. No earlier than January 1, 2031, DOL may, by rule, delay or pause the new mandatory driver training education schedule if, after internal review, DOL determines there is an insufficient number of driver training education and traffic safety education courses or instructors available for the pending age cohort.
As an alternative, to obtain an initial driver's license, the following persons must satisfactorily complete a condensed traffic safety education course, licensed by DOL and consisting of at least eight hours of classroom instruction and three hours of behind-the-wheel instruction that follows the approved curriculum:
DOL may require first-time driver licensees between the ages of 18 and 25 to take a refresher course, to include risk management and hazard perception, at the time of the person's first driver's license renewal.
Driver Training Education—Persons Under 18. Persons under the age of 18 may, beginning January 1, 2017, meet the traffic safety education requirement for a driver's license if they satisfactorily complete an online, self-paced driver training education course as defined by DOL.
Driver Training Education—Behind-the-Wheel Instruction. Any persons 21 years of age and under who complete an online, self-paced course must also complete at least six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. Any persons 22 through 24 years of age who complete an online, self-paced course must complete at least three hours of behind-the-wheel instruction.
School districts, approved private schools, or private driver training schools may offer the behind-the-wheel instruction portion for up to four hours in a single day, with encouragement to do so when students must travel long distances to take the course.
Driver Training Education—New Programming. DOL must establish, subject to the availability of appropriated funds, a program to expand education opportunities for driver training school instructors (instructor opportunities program), specifically certification training programs, with required annual reporting on instructor opportunities program activities every July 1st. The July 1, 2030, report must provide a programmatic and funding needs assessment with any recommendations for instructor opportunities program support. Under the instructor opportunities program, DOL must:
DOL must also establish, subject to the availability of appropriated funds, a program to partner with tribal governments to provide young driver training education in tribal communities (tribal partnership program). DOL must provide a tribal partnership program implementation plan to the Legislature by January 1, 2026, and provide biennial reporting on program activities, beginning July 1, 2027.
DOL must also establish, subject to the availability of appropriated funds, a program to provide vouchers covering the average cost of driver training education courses for certain low-income novice drivers (voucher program), beginning January 1, 2027. DOL must consult with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) during voucher program rule-making on eligibility criteria and application and award procedures. DOL must consult with the WTSC and Department of Social and Health Services to provide to the Legislature a voucher program policy framework and guidelines, by December 1, 2025, to include consideration of:
Under the voucher program, driver training schools may not inflate course costs to offset voucher amounts, and DOL may evaluate course pricing to determine if inflation occurs. Voucher program funds are not an entitlement, and voucher recipient data collected by DOL is exempt from public disclosure. Recipients of driver training education financial assistance under the DCYF and L&I programs are ineligible to receive any vouchers.
DOL must report annually to the transportation committees of the Legislature, beginning January 1, 2028, certain voucher program data and statistics.
The three new programs—the instructor opportunities program, tribal partnership program, and voucher program—may receive funding from the following fee increases or specified fee revenue, beginning January 1, 2026, which are to be deposited into a newly dedicated driver education safety improvement account: