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Lawmakers Aim To Streamline Driver's License Requirements For Teens

(ANDY MANIS/AP)

North Carolina lawmakers are considering a number of bills designed to help teenagers obtain their driver's license despite obstacles related to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles suspended most road tests in March in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The News & Observer reports that at least four bills have been filed to help teenagers whose driving prospects remain in limbo.

One bill in the House would suspend the road test requirement through September, as long as the driver meets all other prerequisites, and a parent or guardian agrees to accept financial liability.

Other more targeted bills would shorten the hours required for in-class and behind-the-wheel instruction, as well as the amount of time needed for a transition from a learner's permit to a provisional license.

Lawmakers say the goal is to help teens make up for time lost in the licensing process due to COVID-19 restrictions and allow them to get their license for travel to and from summer jobs.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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