Three hundred dollars, and in a city that’s 30 minutes away. But it is my only option right now. It was the summer after I graduated from high school, and through a friend, I heard about a certain Driving School. I was one of many teens in my high school who could not drive. The friend who told me about the driving school? Her father took her to one lesson, and then she drove without a license to her waitress job throughout high school. It was her only option. In my experience, access to driving education is one of the most significant factors in teen safety while driving.

Driving schools are practically non-existent in most rural areas. Most teens from my high school who knew how to drive learned to drive a tractor or farm truck before navigating the city streets. This lack of access to formal instruction leads to teens having minimal experience with real traffic situations. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one of the leading causes of teen car accidents is the result of inexperience driving a vehicle or driving in unfamiliar environments. When encountering a new intersection, my newly licensed friend drove past a dedicated right-turn lane and took a sharp right in the middle of the intersection. We were startled, realized we were safe, and now laugh about it. But that moment could have ended very differently. This type of risky behavior happens every day among young drivers. Without formal instruction, teens are forced to learn through trial and error. This puts young drivers in very risky situations.

Risky decisions like the one my friend made at that intersection put more than just the young driver at risk. Most problems related to accessibility are overlooked by the public because they believe it doesn't affect them. Riding shotgun revealed how inexperienced drivers affect those around them. I often heard comments such as “What are they doing?!” or “Learn to drive!” from drivers reacting to confusing behavior on the road. GovComm: Intelligent Transportation Systems states that driver confusion—such as failure to recognize street signs or understand intersections—contributes to 40% of wrong-way crashes. The unpredictability of an inexperienced driver can cause confusion and frustration for some more experienced drivers, and even aggression, such as road rage and tailgating, in others. Stacked together, these different factors could lead to anything from an unfriendly encounter to a fatal accident. An unpredictable road is an unsafe road.

Teens shouldn’t have to choose between the safety of formal driving lessons and the affordability of risky driving. There are actions that schools, communities, and even teens can take to help young drivers receive the education they need. My public school occasionally had days where we were taught real-life skills through hands-on activities, and one of these activities could have included online driving simulations or a group discussion on various traffic scenarios. In an age where digital media is booming, it only makes sense to take advantage of the free driving simulators that are out there. Pursuing the group discussion route, there is plenty of traffic and dashcam footage online that a classroom could dissect and maybe even get a laugh out of. Communities can host workshops such as BRAKES, hosted by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which provides classroom and hands-on learning about driver safety and traffic situations. Giving teens a vehicle to practice on in a controlled environment is one of the most valuable experiences a young driver can have. Teens can also use their resources. For example, I studied for my permit using an app on my phone. But there are other tools as well, such as the internet, printed materials from the DMV, and their voice—to advocate that their peers drive safely and responsibly, even when they feel like they have no other option.

The issue of teen safety behind the wheel is deeply influenced by access to formal driving instruction. Many teens don’t have driving schools nearby or guardians who can teach them to drive safely. For example, my father took me driving once in a park and told me I was ready to get my license, which I was not. This lack of experience leads to risky and unpredictable decision-making, making the roads unsafe for everyone around. However, we can tackle these issues by making driving instruction more accessible through schools and communities. As for my expensive driving lessons, my teacher Nick said I needed more practice.