Turning sixteen was an exciting time in my life! It marked a major right of passage and milestone, the ability to obtain a driver’s license. Suddenly, a world of freedom opened up. I would not have to rely on parents, my older sibling, or friends for a ride. With that freedom came a big responsibility, keeping myself, my friends, and other drivers safe when I’m behind the wheel. Taking driver’s education was key to ensuring I was adequately prepared. A major study of 150,000 teen drivers over eight years found that teens who completed driver’s education were 16% less likely to be in a crash and 24% less likely to be in a fatal crash. My mom and I had been rear-ended by a distracted teen driver a few years before. Mom sustained a concussion and we both suffered from neck and back pain. That experience was still fresh on my mind. Anything I could do to increase my odds of staying safe would be worthwhile.

Unfortunately, my family had moved to a rural area that did not offer driver’s education in the public school system or through private instructors. Research indicates this is very common. In states that do not offer free mandatory driver’s education, rural and economically depressed areas have less access to driver’s education programs. My two best friends enrolled in a private driver’s ed program in my former town. My parents and I decided the hour drive to the classes and the cost would be worth it. Taking driver’s education classes with friends is one way teens can make the process more fun, engaging, and through positive peer pressure encourage good driving habits.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that teens driving with one peer in the car are two and half times more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors. My friends and I try not to be part of this statistic by encouraging each other to apply the good driving habits we learned together. One of the things we learned was the importance of not texting while driving. We live in a “hands free” state, but the adults in my life have more trouble adhering to this than me and my friends. If the driver needs to text, then another friend will send the message or the driver will use carplay. The passenger controls the music and keeps track of directions. This helps the driver focus on the road. We won’t drive until all of us are safely buckled and we limit the number of passengers in the car. We won’t try to text or call each other when we know one of us is driving. We also encourage the driver to be mindful of speed. It can be easy for a teen driver to get distracted with friends in the car and lose track of the speed limit. We have our whole lives ahead of us and many adventures to take together, so we do our part to keep each other safe.

A big focus of driver’s education is learning to drive defensively. My friends and I do what we can to encourage each other when riding together, but we can’t impact the decisions other driver’s make. When I was still an infant and too young to remember, my family was hit by a drunk driver who left the scene and drove away with their crumpled hood covering the windshield. I’ve heard this story again and again as my parents’ stress the importance of not driving under the influence and being ready for anything. These are things my instructor also stressed. My driving instructor taught me tactics for defensive driving like pausing at red lights, using the three-second rule, checking mirrors regularly, and planning for safe alternatives to avoid obstructions or a swerving car.

I am grateful that my family was willing to make the investment in my driver’s education. While my home state of Tennessee's Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system helps young drivers gradually gain experience under less risky conditions, the state does not require driver education as part of the licensing process. This creates significant barriers to equitable access to safe driving education, as many families cannot afford private driving schools, which are often the only alternative. This lack of accessibility disproportionately affects low-income and rural Tennesseans, who may face limited or no local options for driver education. As a result, young drivers in Tennessee may enter the roadways less prepared. A key thing people in my state could do to help keep all drivers safe is to encourage our leaders to consider making driver’s education mandatory or increase opportunities for rural and economically disadvantaged teens to have access to it.