Saturday, January 23, 2010

Differing rules of the road

Jan. 23, 2010, Newark Advocate

BY JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com

NEWARK — When teenagers taught by the Neff family take their road test, some are more likely to fail than others.

It’s not how they are taught, it’s where they take the test.

Don Neff, and his daughter, Angie Winmayer, teach in Chillicothe and Circleville. Both cities have exam stations — but Circleville flunks almost twice as many applicants as Chillicothe.

There are similar trends in Licking County and across Ohio. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ Newark examination station failed drivers 8 percent of the time in 2009, while Knox and Coshocton counties had much lower rates. Fairfield and Pickaway counties were much higher.

Driving instructors cite a number of causes for this disparity. The ease of the course is a factor, as are the socioeconomics of the area.

Applicants younger than 18 must take a driver education class, which costs about $300. If they wait, they don’t have to pay for the course, but they also go into the test with no formal training.


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