bring back the traditional rhode island road test!!!
bring back the traditional rhode island road test!!!
The Issue
To my fellow Rhode Islanders,
As all of us know, in June of 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles changed the road test to obtain an RI drivers license to a closed course skills test. After 5 years, they still haven't changed it back. I as a fellow Rhode Islander have been against this new "road test" since day 1, and believe it should be changed back to the original test that had been performed up until that point. I strongly believe that it does not prepare new drivers for what they will face on our roads, because in reality, how much preparation does a parking lot course really do? According to the Providence Journal* and LendingTree^, our state is ranked second to worst in the country for drivers, and I believe that it's due to this test. We as a state have a scarily high rate driving related incidents of 60.1 incidents per 1,000 drivers from the time span of November 2023- November 2024. Massachusetts has us beat, as they hold the number 1 spot on that ranking, but even so we shouldn't be that high. The DMV themselves claim that this new "road test", and I quote "demonstrate(s) that they (test takers) possess the basic core skills to be deemed a safe driver." I believe the stats listed above say otherwise. The DMV has heard our complaints about the new "road test", but has still kept it around. I believe it's time for change. If you're reading this and you're a fellow Rhode Islander, please consider signing this petition, as I am trying to get as much recognition as possible for this ongoing issue. It's time for us to lower that statistic, and better prepare our up and coming drivers for driving on our roads.
Sources used above:
^https://www.lendingtree.com/insurance/best-worst-drivers-study/#keyfindings
~https://dmv.ri.gov/licenses-permits-ids/permits-tests/road-tests
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The Issue
To my fellow Rhode Islanders,
As all of us know, in June of 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles changed the road test to obtain an RI drivers license to a closed course skills test. After 5 years, they still haven't changed it back. I as a fellow Rhode Islander have been against this new "road test" since day 1, and believe it should be changed back to the original test that had been performed up until that point. I strongly believe that it does not prepare new drivers for what they will face on our roads, because in reality, how much preparation does a parking lot course really do? According to the Providence Journal* and LendingTree^, our state is ranked second to worst in the country for drivers, and I believe that it's due to this test. We as a state have a scarily high rate driving related incidents of 60.1 incidents per 1,000 drivers from the time span of November 2023- November 2024. Massachusetts has us beat, as they hold the number 1 spot on that ranking, but even so we shouldn't be that high. The DMV themselves claim that this new "road test", and I quote "demonstrate(s) that they (test takers) possess the basic core skills to be deemed a safe driver." I believe the stats listed above say otherwise. The DMV has heard our complaints about the new "road test", but has still kept it around. I believe it's time for change. If you're reading this and you're a fellow Rhode Islander, please consider signing this petition, as I am trying to get as much recognition as possible for this ongoing issue. It's time for us to lower that statistic, and better prepare our up and coming drivers for driving on our roads.
Sources used above:
^https://www.lendingtree.com/insurance/best-worst-drivers-study/#keyfindings
~https://dmv.ri.gov/licenses-permits-ids/permits-tests/road-tests
39
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Petition created on March 26, 2025