DETROIT (WXYZ) — This week is an important one for those just learning to drive: National Teen Driver Safety Week.
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for those 15-18, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
But as it turns out, less teens are driving. It can be so emotional handing over those keys, but it is an important part of entering into adulthood.
I went to a driving school and spoke to a new driver, her Mom and a driving instructor to see how safety can be prioritized. I also went searching for answers as to why less teens are getting their driver's license.
17-year-old Katherine Fugon-Saravia has had her license for the past year.
“It’s kinda of like a right of passage of life," Katherine told me. “It’s been really fun, I really enjoy the independence of having like a car and a drivers license.”
Her mother has also been enjoying Katherine learning how to drive.
"I'm so proud of her," said Maria Saravia. "She does a lot of things on herself."
However, not all teens are taking this important step into adulthood.
According to the Michigan Department of State, 66 percent of eligible drivers had their license in the year 2000. That number dropped to 56 percent in 2021.
"What do you think has changed from when we were growing up and everyone wanting to get their license, to now?" I asked Kayla Thomas-Wright,the Teen Program Coordinator for Strive for Safer Drive, a state program working to help teens learn how to drive safely.
"I would say social media," Kayla said. “We grew up in a time before social media, we grew up in a time when we didn’t have social media, and we would get home from school we would go outside, we would asked to be driven to our friends house, they don’t have to do that anymore, they can FaceTime, they can Snapchat.”
She said there are other factors playing a part in the decrease, including not being able to afford driver's training, no way to and from the classes and after school activities, like sports or theater.
Driver instructor and owner of 'Wheel to Drive', Aisha Hedwood, has another theory as to why teens are choosing not to drive.
“One of the reasons is because teens have so many more options than they did in the past such as Uber, and Lyft," Aisha said.
For teens that are driving, Hedwood recommends parents having patience, starting on familiar routes, driving in a variety of weather and road conditions, and lead by having good driving habits yourself.
“Although it is really hard in the beginning, it will be worth it," Katherine said.
If your teen is learning how to drive, or is about to take driver's training, we have more info from the stateat this link. Michigan State also has a Teen Driver Parental Toolkityou can view here.
