by Zach Bigalke

Created on: March 11, 2008   Last Updated: November 10, 2011

I was raised in Wyoming, a land of wide-open spaces where parents have to learn early to depend on their children to be responsible behind the wheel of an automobile. The state offers hardship licenses for youth to begin daytime driving at fourteen. Learner's permits are issued at fifteen, and one can receive his or her full driver's license at sixteen. The problem with youth behind the wheel is not one of which age driving experience begins; a driver at any age can die in an automobile accident.

The real issue is in education. Age requirements and training can only go so far. With children of this generation playing driving video games at a young age - the Grand Theft Autos, the Need For Speeds, the Gran Turismos and the other plethora of titles on the market - which often reward irresponsible driving habits, bad habits are being ingrained well before youth sit in the driver's seat. Education about responsible driving need not start only once a learner's permit is issued... parents must instill in their children responsible driving habits through their example and their instruction.

My own parents were not perfect, by any means. I have had my share of dangerous moments on the road. But they were sitting beside me in the passenger seat for many hundreds of miles long before I was set free alone. I was given supervised experience in all driving conditions: snow, rain, nighttime driving. I never took a driver's education course; my parents and the road WERE my driver's education.

In the end, it is a matter of miles which matters most for young drivers. All the classroom instruction and age restrictions will do nothing to prevent nascent drivers from doing dangerous things. Education in the home and in the automobile is the best way to prevent driving fatalities. A parent can pull the plug on the reckless video games and cinematography. A parent can educate their children as to how different mechanisms in the automobile function, so as to breed familiarity before the child begins driving. It is PARENTS who must do their parental duty and ensure that responsible driving habits are instilled, early and often. No amount of legislation or restriction can substitute that training.

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