Behind the wheel

Teen traffic fatalities are falling in Tennessee, and safety officials say programs focusing on youth driver safety and education are helping.

"In 2009, preliminary statistics indicate 48 teen drivers were killed on Tennessee roadways, compared to 72 teen drivers in 2008," said Mike Browning, spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Safety. "There's several reasons for that, but we think a combination of things (is) occurring. One is that we're getting this message out to teens about safe driving skills."

The Department of Safety is relaying that message through its Cooperative Driver Testing Program, which allows students to complete their knowledge-and-skills driving test in high school rather than through a state driver service center. The program was created in 1993 as a way to reduce crowding at driver's license centers, but driver's education teachers at participating high schools say there are other benefits.

Leon Brown, who has taught driver's education at Cleveland High School for nearly 30 years, said the program allows a student to take the driving test with an instructor who is familiar with their driving skills, creating an increased level of comfort.

"They get to take their driving exam with the teacher they've been working with for the entire semester," Mr. Brown said. "So they probably feel more comfortable, instead of going with a stranger."

To finish a driver's education class, students must have 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of driving time, he said. In the classroom, they learn the rules of the road through a textbook, videos and guest speakers such as Department of Safety officials and state troopers.

Scott Arnold, driver education teacher at Rhea County High School, said once students are behind the wheel, he provides instruction on situations they might not have anticipated, such as checking for their blind spot or how to change lanes.

"It really gives them a chance to get out on the road and gives them some experience, which is what you need," he said.

There are more than 60 schools across the state that participate in the program and just three locally -- Rhea County High School, Cleveland High School and Meigs County High School. Mr. Browning said the Department of Safety is trying to increase that number.

Though there is no price tag associated with joining the program, he said, school systems must take into account the price of providing a car for students to drive and insurance in the event of an accident.

"You have to have a strong administration in order to be able to put this program out," Mr. Arnold said. "Because there may be a little bit of risk involved, because you have to have the insurance ... so there's a lot of work, not just the instruction part that goes into it."

Students at Rhea County High drive a vehicle bought by the school system, but at Cleveland High students get a new car each semester, donated by Larry Hill Ford.

"The kids are really excited about that," Mr. Brown said. "A lot of them, the first thing they say is, 'Man, it's a lot nicer than what I drive.'"