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New Class Teaches Teens To Be Better Drivers

SYKESVILLE, Md. (WJZ) ― New efforts are in effect to ensure your teenagers learn how to drive safely.

Kelly McPherson reports there's a unique class in Sykesville, Carroll County where they're learning to prepare for any potential problems.

This is not a typical driving class.  Teens are learning from high-speed drivers with experience.

"Honestly, I hate to say it but local driving schools, even sometimes your public school education, don't give them this type of education where we do various things with high speeds.  High speeds in this case being 30, 40 miles per hour max," said Chuck Grafton.

The new drivers use their own cars to better apply what they've learned.

But how did they get here?

"On my father's insistence that I go to another driving education course.  I never had to take it before.  Never got into an accident, but it always remains a possibility," said John Vitarelo, a 17-year-old driver.

It's a big possibility in Maryland. In 2006, 111 young people were killed in car crashes and more than 12,500 were injured.  They were all between the ages of 16 and 20.

Obviously organizers didn't know that Hanna would be here when they planned this event, but it's actually helping them teach students another way to handle their car.

"Today, of course, with the rain out here, they'll go down there and it's to teach them how to feel the ABS kick in.  We'll teach them, they'll go down, hit their brakes and just lock them up and it will jerk them down," Grafton said.

Students agree the controlled environment helps them learn the limits of their own car.

"Traction, just how easy it is.  Just the features on the car that are going to help you avoid an accident," Vitarelo said.

Every year more than 5,000 teenagers nationwide are killed in car crashes.

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