I remember teaching my kids to drive. We purchased a small used car with a manual transmission when our daughter turned 15. Many hours were spent with both kids navigating the Maze in Alliance’s Homestead Addition. They learned to handle the vehicle, shift gears, back up, park, use mirrors, gauge speed, types of turns, watch for obstructions, etc. before actually driving on streets with other vehicles. I enjoyed being chauffeured everywhere for seven years! And our children both took summer driver’s education courses so we got the auto insurance deduction.
We all think our rural kids are better drivers. However, Box Butte and Scotts Bluff Counties rank in the top ten in Nebraska for crashes due to improper driving, speed, and distraction according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
Panhandle Public Health District (PPHD) is asking parents to complete a survey at https://tinyurl.com/ypxrakpd regarding driver’s education courses. Only 20% of Panhandle teens take Driver’s Education courses, compared to the state average of 50%. Driver’s education reduces crashes and traffic tickets.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published Driver Education Program Facts and Figures. Their findings: Teen drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 16% more likely to have a crash. They are 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal or injurious crash.
Not only are teens who have not taken driver’s education more likely to be involved in crashes, they are 75% more likely to get a traffic ticket.
In Nebraska, most teens get a learner’s permit, and then have to log 50 hours of practice driving under the supervision of a parent or other adult. UNL researchers have found that, during their first year of driving, students who took driver’s ed had significantly fewer accidents and traffic tickets than the group that logged driving hours without formal driving instruction.
Since the 2013-2014 school year, Nebraska high school students have been asked to complete the Teen Driving Experiences Survey. The most recent results online are from the survey completed in January, 2023, by 1,777 students from twelve Nebraska high schools. Survey highlights – all risky behaviors:
Driven a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt: 29%
Ridden in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt: 51%
Talked on a cell phone while driving: 71%
Text messaged while driving: 66%
Ridden with a driver who had been drinking: 15%
Ridden with a driver who had used marijuana: 7%
Driven with two or more teen passengers and no adults: 59%
Driver’s education courses typically have classroom instruction on topics such as vehicle safety, laws and regulations, vehicle operation, and factors affecting driving, like alcohol, road conditions, distraction, etc. Students also have behind the-wheel driving practice with a trained instructor.
Driving has changed. Our roads and technology have changed. If I were teaching my kids now, I would have to add roundabouts, zipper merging, backup cameras, and using GPS maps.
WNCC is offering a driver’s ed course July 8-12 for ages 14-17. The cost is $195, and the instructor is Richard Kennedy. Students must have a learner’s permit. They will complete 20 hours of classroom time and must score 70% or higher on the final exam. Then they drive five hours with the driving test instructor and must pass the driving test. Email drivers.ed@wncc.edu for a registration form or call 308-635-6700 for more information.
Informed, competent, and safe teen drivers ultimately reduce the risk of crashes, injuries, and fatalities on our nation’s roadways. And driver’s education helps make our teens safer drivers.