LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — "You don't do it with a video. You got to put them in a car and let them understand it," says Fayette County Attorney Larry Roberts on preparing teenagers to be better drivers. His office runs a 20-hour driver's education course that teaches teens hands-on defensive driving skills. Roberts believes every high school should offer the course.
"We want to teach them what to do before something happens," said Roberts who spoke with us Tuesday afternoon.
We're in what's called the 100 Deadliest Days of driving on the roads. Data shows 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day more teens die in crashes.
According to Kentucky State Police data between 2015 and 2019, there were 308 deadly crashes involving teen drivers who make up only four percent of all Kentucky drivers. Police report teen drivers accounted for six to ten percent of deadly crashes those five years.
Roberts says every year in Lexington 1,500 crashes involves teenagers who are ten times more likely to be in a wreck their first year behind the wheel.
To learn more about the program, click on this link: Driver’s Education – Fayette County Attorney's Office
