(The Center Square) – In an effort to reduce lines at driver’s license offices, North Carolina is allowing private driving instructors to administer road tests to teenagers for level two provisional driver’s licenses.
It is part of an effort to make the Division of Motor Vehicles more efficient after harsh criticism by the public and the state auditor over long wait times.
“The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles has trained and certified private driver education schools across North Carolina to administer driving skills/road tests for teens with a Level 1 Limited Learner Permit, providing a convenient alternative to testing at an office,” the state said in a release.
Teens who choose to let approved private driving schools administer the road test, will now only need to visit a DMV office to complete the administrative process for obtaining a provisional license, “reducing time spent at the office with the road test already completed,” the state said.
The change will save teens a “significant” amount of time by not having to stand in line at the DMV, State Auditor Dave Boliek said at a recent meeting of North Carolina leaders.
The change was suggested in a state audit of the DMV released in August. The average wait time at DMV offices is an hour and 15 minutes, up 15.5% since 2019, the audit said.
Allowing third party driving schools to administer the tests to teens was suggested in a state audit of the DMV released in August.
“Allowing third-party testers to administer program has been successful in South Carolina,” according to the audit.
It said administration of skills tests in North Carolina could relieve strain on DMV resources, reduce wait times, and improve service delivery, particularly in rural areas with limited testing sites.
Calvin Brewer, owner of Above Average Driving School in Durham, is looking forward to the start of the program Saturday.
“It helps parents with their tight schedules,” he told The Center Square. “I think it’s a great partnership between the DMV and commercial driving schools. The DMV is pretty backed up as we all know. This frees the DMV up from their backlog. It’’s a win-win.”
Parents pay driving schools a fee to perform the tests, Brewer said.
The cost of the driving test is set by each individual driving school, the state said.
