The Long-Term Safety Benefits of Quality Teen Driver Education
Welcome, parents! If you have a teenager gearing up to drive, you probably feel a mix of excitement and worry. Teen driving can be nerve-wracking – and for good reason. In this post, we’ll explore why teen drivers face such high risks on the road, and how enrolling your teen in a high-quality driving school can pay off in safer driving. We’ll dive into the data (from trusted sources like the CDC, NHTSA, and university studies) showing the impact of good driver education on teen crash rates, injuries, and tickets. We’ll also compare states with strong versus weak driver training requirements, see if these safety benefits last over time, and end with practical tips and recommendations for choosing the best driver’s ed program for your family. Let’s hit the road!
Teen Drivers Face Higher Crash and Fatality Rates
It’s an unfortunate fact: teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group. Motor vehicle crashes are actually the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers. In 2020 alone, about 2,800 teens (ages 13–19) were killed in car crashes and 227,000 were injured – that averages to around 8 teen deaths every single day. Even when measured per mile driven, teens ages 16–19 are at much greater risk: their fatal crash rate is almost three times as high as the rate for drivers 20 and older (per mile traveled).
Why are teens so vulnerable behind the wheel? A few reasons stand out:
- Inexperience and Immaturity: Driving is complex, and teens are still learning to recognize hazards and react quickly. They often underestimate dangerous situations or make critical errors that older drivers would avoid. The teen brain is still developing (particularly the parts that assess risk and control impulses), which can lead to riskier decisions on the road.
- Risky Behaviors: Teens are more likely to speed, follow too closely, or get distracted compared to older drivers. They also have lower rates of seat belt use – in fatal crashes in 2020, 56% of teens (16–19) killed were not wearing a seat belt. Distracted driving (like texting) is a big issue among high schoolers as well.
- Nighttime and Passengers: Night driving and joyrides with friends compound the risk. The fatal crash rate at night for teens is about three times higher than for adults. Having teen passengers also increases crash risk for an unsupervised teen driver – each additional young passenger adds to the danger.
The first year of independent driving is especially perilous. Newly licensed 16-year-olds have crash rates far above older teens – for example, a 16-year-old’s crash rate per mile is roughly 1.5 times higher than that of an 18–19-year-old. This makes sense: the combination of minimal driving experience and teenage impulsivity is most acute at 16. Gradually, as teens get more practice and mature, their crash risk declines – but it remains elevated through the late teens. Given these stark statistics, it’s clear why we parents lose sleep over our teen drivers.
The good news? Teen crashes are preventable, and there are proven ways to reduce these risks. Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems – which phase in driving privileges (e.g. limits on night driving or passengers for new drivers) – have been very effective at lowering teen crash rates. But another key strategy is often overlooked: driver education. A quality driver’s ed program can give teens the skills and habits they need to stay safe. Let’s look at what the evidence says about driver education and safety.
How High-Quality Driver’s Ed Improves Teen Safety
Formal driver education courses (at school or through private driving schools) have been around for generations. These programs typically combine classroom instruction on rules of the road with behind-the-wheel (BTW) training from a qualified instructor. The idea is to teach teens good driving practices before they’re turned loose solo. But does it actually work? Historically, research in the 1980s was skeptical – early studies didn’t find clear crash reductions from driver’s ed, leading many states to cut funding back then. However, more recent data tells a different story. Newer, better-designed studies are finding that high-quality driver education does yield safer outcomes for teen drivers, especially during that critical first year or two on the road.
One landmark study out of the University of Nebraska tracked over 150,000 teen drivers in a graduated licensing system for eight years. The findings were striking: teens who did not take driver’s ed were far more likely to crash or get tickets than those who completed a state-approved driver training course. Specifically, compared to driver’s-ed graduates, teens without formal training were:
- 75% more likely to get a traffic ticket in their first year.
- 24% more likely to be involved in a crash causing injury or death.
- 16% more likely to have any kind of crash during that period.
In raw numbers, about 11.1% of the driver’s ed group had a crash in their first year, versus 12.9% of the non-trained group. Injury crashes were rarer, but again the driver’s ed teens did better (2.1% vs 2.6%). Most notably, only 10.4% of driver’s ed teens received a moving violation, compared to 18.3% of teens without driver’s ed. That’s nearly double the rate of tickets for the non-trained group – a huge difference. These trends weren’t just a one-year fluke; they held up into the second year of driving as well. The researchers concluded that “Teens taking driver education are less likely to be involved in crashes or to receive a traffic violation during their first two years of driving”, and importantly, this safety boost comes at the age when teens are at highest risk (16–18).
Other studies echo these benefits. For example, a 2015 nationwide study published in the Journal of Safety Research found that states with more comprehensive driver education requirements had lower fatal crash rates among 16- and 17-year-old drivers. And a more recent analysis by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and University of Pennsylvania looked at Ohio’s licensing system. In Ohio, teens under 18 must complete driver’s ed (including behind-the-wheel training) as part of GDL, but 18-year-olds are exempt. This created a natural comparison: does training make the younger teens safer than the newbie 18-year-olds who skipped it? The answer was yes. Ohio teens licensed at 16 or 17 (with driver education) had significantly lower crash rates in their first months of driving than 18-year-old new drivers who did not take any formal training. In fact, 16-year-old newbies had 27% fewer crashes in their first two months than 18-year-old newbies – and a 14% lower crash rate over the entire first year post-licensing. Even 17-year-old new drivers (who also had training) outperformed the 18-year-olds, with 19% fewer crashes in the first two months and 6% fewer in the first year. Clearly, the teens who went through Ohio’s driver education and GDL system were better prepared and safer initially than those who skipped training.
Why does quality driver’s ed make a difference? The training likely helps in several ways:
- Skill Building: Professional instruction and supervised practice help teens master basic vehicle handling and learn defensive driving strategies in a safer, structured way rather than by trial-and-error.
- Hazard Perception: Good programs teach teens to recognize risks (like an upcoming sharp curve or an inattentive driver nearby) and to adjust their driving accordingly. Young drivers often struggle with this, but training can accelerate their learning.
- Rules and Safer Habits: Formal classes reinforce critical safety rules – seat belt use, speed control, scanning for hazards, limiting distractions, etc. – hopefully instilling habits that stick. Teens are also taught about the grave consequences of choices like impaired driving or texting behind the wheel.
- Confidence and Test Prep: Completing a driver’s ed course often makes teens more confident and competent going into their license exam. (In Ohio, 16-year-olds who had training actually had much higher driving test pass rates than the 18-year-olds who didn’t – the younger teens’ failure rate was 22% vs 37% for the untrained 18-year-olds.) Passing the test is just a start, but it indicates stronger fundamental driving skills which can translate to real-world safety.
In short, certified driver education programs tend to produce teens who are better prepared – they commit fewer violations and get into fewer scrapes in those early high-risk driving years. As one research team put it, driver education “appears to make a difference in teen traffic outcomes at a time when risk is highest”. This doesn’t mean driver’s ed makes your teen invincible (far from it!). But it can tilt the odds in their favor by giving them a stronger foundation.
Strong vs. Weak Driver Education Requirements: Does It Matter?
Driver education isn’t uniformly required across the U.S. – not by a long shot. Every state has its own laws on teen licensing, and requirements for driver training vary widely. Some states mandate robust driver ed for all young drivers; others have minimal or no formal training requirements (especially if teens wait until a certain age). These policy choices can impact safety outcomes for teens on a broader scale.
As of 2023, 31 states require teens under 18 to complete behind-the-wheel training with a certified instructor as part of their licensing process. Most states also require a certain number of supervised practice hours (like 40–50 hours driving with a parent) before teens can get a license – in fact, 41 states have such practice-hour requirements on the books. However, not all requirements are equal:
- Some states demand both extensive classroom education and in-car training (for example, Ohio requires 24 hours of classroom and 8 hours behind-the-wheel for teens).
- Other states might allow teens to fulfill requirements through only parent-supervised practice, with no professional driving lessons mandated. In 2024, researchers noted 16 states (including Pennsylvania) did not require any professional behind-the-wheel driver training for teens – they relied solely on parent supervised practice, and 7 of those states even had no mandatory practice hours for certain age groups of new drivers. Essentially, in those places, a teen could go get a license with relatively little formal preparation.
- Meanwhile, only 15 states have what experts call comprehensive licensing requirements – meaning they include behind-the-wheel training at a driving school plus other elements like classroom instruction, parent/guardian practice hours, and a lengthy learner’s permit holding period. These tend to be states with stronger GDL programs.
So, does having stronger requirements actually lead to safer teen drivers at the state level? Evidence suggests yes. Research shows that states with more rigorous teen driver training and GDL laws have seen greater reductions in teen crashes and fatalities compared to states with lax requirements. For instance, one analysis found that states which mandated driver’s ed as part of the learner’s stage of GDL experienced significantly lower fatal crash involvement rates among young drivers (a 34.5% reduction in one study). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also reports that stronger GDL provisions (which often include training and longer supervised practice periods) are associated with substantially lower crash rates for 16–17 year-olds.
The Ohio example we discussed is a microcosm of the state policy impact. In Ohio, if a teen waits until 18 to get licensed (thus skipping driver ed), that teen is more likely to crash than if they had gone through the under-18 training system. Many states have a similar “age loophole,” and the result can be a spike in crashes among 18–20 year-old novice drivers who never got formal training. A 2022 study highlighted this: across states, 18-year-old new drivers (who bypassed GDL and training) often have higher first-year crash rates than 16–17 year-old new drivers who received comprehensive training. As Dr. Elizabeth Walshe of CHOP notes, “we should not assume that the youngest new drivers will have the highest crash rates… With comprehensive licensing requirements, these younger drivers can perform better than older novice drivers who are exempt”.
On the flip side, in states that do require driver education, teens benefit. A recent Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) report found that teen driver fatality rates have fallen sharply in the past 20 years nationwide, and it credits strong GDL laws and driver education programs as key factors. GHSA’s state-by-state analysis noted that states where teens must “complete mandatory driver education” tend to do better (safety-wise) than states without such requirements. Of course, correlation isn’t everything – many factors affect crashes – but requiring proper training appears to give teens in those states a safety edge.
All this suggests that if you live in a state with minimal requirements, it’s even more important as a parent to go above and beyond for your teen’s training (more on that in the tips section!). And if you’re in a state with strong requirements, don’t rest easy – ensure the program your teen attends is high-quality and that they truly absorb the lessons.
One more policy point: States with stronger requirements often allow teens to get licensed slightly earlier if they complete driver’s ed (as an incentive). States with no requirements may simply set a higher licensing age but no training. Interestingly, raising the licensing age alone isn’t a substitute for education. When teens wait until 18 with no training, they don’t magically become safer drivers by virtue of age alone. Experience and good training are what build skill, so even an “adult” first-time driver at 18–19 can be at high risk if poorly prepared. This is why safety advocates suggest extending GDL programs to cover novice drivers up to age 21 in some cases. In fact, Ohio recently passed a law to require all new drivers under 21 to take driver’s ed, closing that 18-year-old loophole. As parents, supporting such policies can help ensure all young new drivers get the training they need, not just 16-year-olds.
Do the Benefits of Driver’s Ed Last Over Time?
So far we’ve seen that driver’s ed can reduce crashes and violations in the first couple of years of driving. But what about the longer term? Will your teen still be reaping safety benefits from driving school when they’re, say, 5 years older? This is a great question – after all, we want to know if driver’s ed just delays crashes or truly helps create lifelong safe drivers.
Research in this area is somewhat limited, as most studies focus on the initial driving period (when risk is highest and differences are easiest to measure). However, the evidence we have is encouraging:
- The Nebraska study showed lower crash and ticket rates through at least two years of driving for those who took driver’s ed]. By the time drivers reach their 20s, crash rates drop for everyone, trained or not, making it harder to detect differences. But the critical goal is getting teens safely through that high-risk window (ages 16–18), and driver education clearly helps achieve that.
- There’s indication that habits learned in driver’s ed can carry forward. For example, if a teen learns early to always wear a seat belt, check mirrors, avoid texting, etc., they are likely to continue those habits as they become an adult driver. It’s hard to quantify, but good training “bakes in” good behaviors that persist.
- Conversely, poor driving habits (like not scanning intersections or speeding) established early can persist too. This is why catching teens at the beginning of their driving career is so important – we want to set them on the right trajectory. Driver’s ed can be that positive jump-start.
It’s worth noting that the safety gains from driver’s ed might diminish if not reinforced. Think of it like any other skill – you learn the basics in class, but you’ve got to apply them consistently for years to truly become an expert. If a teen aces driving school but then falls into bad habits once they have their license (say they start speeding or don’t bother with the techniques they learned), the initial advantage could fade. That’s where ongoing parental guidance and GDL rules (curfews, passenger limits, etc.) help keep them on track until safe driving becomes second nature.
Encouragingly, the comprehensive approach of combining driver’s ed with graduated licensing seems to produce drivers who not only have fewer crashes early on, but also continue to build experience safely. For instance, one study noted that every additional month a teen kept their learner’s permit (and practiced under supervision) corresponded to about a 2% reduction in their crash rate after getting licensed. Spending more time practicing (and delaying full licensure a bit) means a more seasoned, confident driver later. The lesson: patience and practice pay off in long-term safety.
In summary, while the most dramatic impacts of driver education are seen in the first year or two of driving, those are the very years when teens are most likely to crash. By cutting down crashes during this peak-risk period, we’re not just delaying them – we’re helping many teens avoid them altogether and live to become safer adult drivers. A foundation of good skills and habits can indeed last a lifetime. As parents, we should view driver’s ed as an investment in long-term safety. It helps our teens survive the learning curve of driving, so they can gain experience and mature into responsible drivers in their 20s and beyond.
Tips for Parents: Choosing an Effective Driver Education Program
Not all driver’s education is created equal. High-quality programs can significantly improve teen safety, but poor-quality ones might just check the box without truly preparing your teen. As a parent, how can you ensure you’re choosing a worthwhile driving school or course for your child? Here are some actionable tips:
- Go Beyond the Minimum Requirements: Most states require a baseline driver’s ed course (or none at all), but don’t settle for the bare minimum. Experts “advise families of teens to go beyond the minimum state requirements to keep teen drivers safer.” This might mean enrolling in a more intensive course than mandated, or doing additional supervised driving practice beyond what the law asks. Remember, if your state only requires, say, 6 hours behind-the-wheel, that’s truly a minimum. More practice = more skill. Don’t hesitate to seek extra drive time or advanced classes if needed.
- Look for Certified, Reputable Schools: Enroll your teen in a state-certified driver education program. Nearly every state requires driving instructors to be certified – this is a baseline check. But also look at the school’s reputation and track record. Talk to other parents and recent students about their experience. Visit the school (or its website) to see the curriculum and training vehicles. A quality program should follow a structured curriculum (many use nationally recognized curricula, such as those from the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association). If your state has an oversight agency or published driving school performance data, check that too.
- Prioritize Behind-the-Wheel Training: Classroom or online instruction is valuable for learning rules and theory, but nothing replaces actual behind-the-wheel experience for building skill. Opt for programs that provide substantial in-car training with a qualified instructor. Many states require 6 hours BTW – but if you find a course that offers more, even better. BTW sessions should cover a range of scenarios (not just parking lots – think merging, highway driving, night driving if possible, etc.). Ask how the school structures in-car lessons: Are they one-on-one? Do they use modern vehicles with dual controls? The goal is to maximize real driving practice in a safe way.
- Ensure the Program Emphasizes Safety Attitudes: A good driver’s ed isn’t just about passing the DMV test – it should emphasize defensive driving and responsible behaviors. When evaluating courses, look for topics like hazard perception, managing speed, following distances, handling distractions, and the dangers of impaired driving. Programs endorsed by safety organizations or state highway safety offices are a plus. You want instructors who will frankly discuss crash risks and safe choices, not just teach how to parallel park.
- Parental Involvement is Key: The best driver’s ed programs involve parents in the process. Some schools offer a parent orientation session or provide progress reports/tips to parents – take advantage of these. Even if not offered, you can ask to sit in on a class or ride along for a BTW lesson (some schools allow this). Knowing what your teen is learning helps you coach them consistently at home. Sign a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement on rules (night driving, passengers, etc.) and enforce it. Your support and supervision are the perfect complement to professional instruction. In fact, parents should aim to provide at least 50 hours of supervised practice driving (spread over a variety of conditions) in addition to any formal lessons – this aligns with what many states require because it works. The more coached practice, the better.
- Don’t Rush – More Practice Time Benefits Everyone: While your teen may be eager to get their license ASAP, encourage them to value learning over speed. If possible, keep them in the learner’s permit stage longer to practice more (beyond the minimum 6 or 12 months). As noted earlier, each extra month of supervised driving can cut crash risk by a few percent. Consider spacing out professional lessons over several months, so your teen can practice in between and tackle increasingly challenging drives as they improve. There’s no need to cram all training into a short window.
- Consider Advanced or Supplemental Training: After your teen completes basic driver’s ed and has some solo driving under their belt, you might look into additional training opportunities. Some driving schools or insurers offer “advanced driver training” or defensive driving courses for young drivers (teaching skills like hazard avoidance, skid recovery, etc.). These are optional and not a substitute for basic driver’s ed, but can reinforce skills and build confidence. Just be cautious: any such program should focus on safety, not racing or stunts. The idea is to further ingrain safe driving habits, not encourage overconfidence.
- Stay Engaged and Keep Coaching: Driver education shouldn’t end when the course ends. Make a habit of riding with your teen even after they are licensed – you can gently coach them on any bad habits that creep in and praise their good driving. Many parents find the first 6–12 months of licensed driving is when their teen actually internalizes the lessons, and occasional “check-in” drives with a parent can keep them accountable. Remember, graduated licensing restrictions (like no friends in the car, no nighttime driving) are essentially extensions of driver education – they provide a protected environment for your teen to gain experience. Support and enforce these rules fully until your teen “graduates” from them. By then, with a combination of good training and real-world experience, your teen will be much more equipped to drive safely on their own.
Following these tips will help you choose an effective program and actively support your teen’s driving development. It’s a team effort: the driving school instructor lays the groundwork, and you as the parent reinforce and expand on it through practice and guidance.
Policy Recommendations and Looking Ahead
While individual action is vital, broader policy changes can make roads safer for all teens. As a parent, you can be an advocate for stronger teen driver safety measures in your community and state. Here are a few policy-level recommendations informed by research:
- Strengthen Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Laws: If your state’s GDL program has gaps (for example, if it doesn’t require driver’s ed or if it drops all restrictions once a teen turns 18 regardless of experience), consider advocating for improvements. Extending certain GDL provisions to cover 18-20 year-old new drivers can catch those who would otherwise skip training. Many experts recommend lengthening learner permit periods and maintaining nighttime/passenger restrictions until teens gain more experience. These moves have proven to save lives.
- Make Driver Education Accessible and Affordable: Cost or availability should not be a barrier to safety. Unfortunately, not every high school offers driver’s ed these days, and private courses can be pricey. States should ensure driver training is available to all teens – regardless of income, location, or background. This could mean funding subsidies or school programs, especially for low-income families. The data shows lower-income teens have higher crash rates, in part potentially because they have less access to quality training. We need to close that gap. As a parent, you can support policies or initiatives (via school boards, PTAs, state legislators) that expand driver’s ed programs and funding. Some insurance companies or nonprofits also offer grants or free programs for teen drivers – raising awareness of those helps too.
- Include Parents in the Process: Policymakers and educators should recognize parents as crucial partners in teen driver safety. States might consider requiring a short parent seminar as part of teen licensing, to educate parents on GDL rules and how to effectively supervise their young driver. (A few states already do this.) GHSA specifically recommends “building a parent education element into state licensing requirements”. When parents are informed and involved, teens benefit.
- Continuous Evaluation and Improvement of Driver’s Ed Curriculum: Support efforts to modernize driver’s ed with the latest research on teen learning. Today’s teens face new challenges (from smartphones to more advanced vehicle technology) that training should cover. For example, programs should teach about using driver-assist features safely and the dangers of relying on them too much. They should also address distracted driving in the age of cell phones. Pushing for high standards – perhaps a unified national curriculum or at least state curricula that meet evidence-based benchmarks – will improve quality. As a parent, you can give feedback to driving schools or your DMV about what was great or lacking in your teen’s course.
- Promote Peer-to-Peer Safety Programs: Teens often listen to other teens. Schools and communities can implement peer-led safe driving campaigns (think SADD or Teen Safe Driving Weeks) to reinforce the pro-safety message. These programs, when done well, can shift norms so that not speeding or not texting is “cool.” Encourage your teen’s school to participate in such initiatives.
A final note: Over the past two decades, teen driver fatalities have plummeted – a GHSA report highlights a 38% drop in fatal crashes involving young drivers since 2002. This shows that our combined efforts – better education, stronger laws, safer cars, and engaged parents – are making a difference. We’ve made progress, but our work isn’t done. By prioritizing high-quality driver education and advocating for robust teen driving policies, we can continue this positive trend toward zero preventable deaths.
Sending your teen to a quality driving school is more than just a rite of passage – it’s a proven safety investment. It helps compensate for their inexperience with knowledge and practice, and it builds habits that could save their life (or someone else’s) on the road. When paired with active parental involvement and strong state safety laws, driver’s education can dramatically reduce your teen’s crash risk. The benefits are greatest in those early years, but they set the stage for a lifetime of safe driving. As parents, we all want to see our kids grow into responsible, skilled drivers. By being informed, choosing an excellent driver’s ed program, and staying engaged in our teens’ driving journey, we stack the deck in favor of their safety. Here’s to helping our teens navigate the road ahead confidently and responsibly – with many years of safe driving to come!