Do you want to learn to drive? While you could ask a friend or family member to teach you, taking driving classes, or drivers education, is a better course of action.
If you’re a family member of friend of a teenager that wants to learn to drive, you are probably aware that 56% of teens expect their parents to teach them. While you may want to be supportive and encouraging by teaching them to learn to drive, enrolling them in drivers education classes can also demonstrate you are being supportive of their becoming independent.
You may be aware that during their first year of driving, teenagers are more likely to be in a crash. Studies have unfortunately shown that teens are nearly ten-times more likely than older adults to be in a crash.
While a lack of experience on the road is one of the primary reasons more accidents may occur with teens, other reasons include not understanding the concept of defensive driving. A good driving school will include a defensive driving class in their curriculum. Furthermore, they will stress the importance of wearing a seat belt at all times.
Recent studies have shown that many teenagers don’t wear seat belts. Only 65% claim to always wear their seat belts when they’re driving or when they’re a passenger in someone else’s vehicle.
Depending on personal and family circumstances, as well as the state within which a teenager lives, the age at which they are able to obtain a learner’s permit and license will vary. In some cases, exceptions are made when a teenager needs to drive to assist the family. Other exceptions may include when a teenager needs to work and/or attend school in an area that doesn’t have public transportation.
Unfortunately, there are many teenagers that have already experienced being in a car crash when they were riding as a passenger. Over 25% of 9th graders, for example, have reported this. When driving, however, 20% of 11th graders have reported being in a crash within the last year.
When considering that there are approximately 214 million licensed drivers in the United States, and that they average 29.2 miles per day, there is a considerable amount of traffic on the roads. The more knowledge and skills a teenaged driver has, the more equipped they will be to drive safely. Driving classes can provide this knowledge and skills along with valuable experience.
