This week is an important one for those just learning to drive because it's National Teen Driver Safety Week.
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for those 15-18, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
But as it turns out, fewer teens are driving. It can be emotional to hand over those keys, but it is an important part of entering into adulthood.
At a Michigan driving school a new driver, her Mom and a driving instructor talked about how safety can be prioritized. But, why are fewer teens getting their driver's licenses?
17-year-old Katherine Fugon-Saravia has had her license for the past year.
“It’s kinda of like a right of passage of life," Katherine said. “It’s been really fun, I really enjoy the independence of having like a car and a driver's license.”
Her mother has also been enjoying Katherine learning how to drive.
"I'm so proud of her," said Maria Saravia. "She does a lot of things on herself."
However, not all teens are taking this important step into adulthood.
According to the Michigan Department of State, 66% of eligible drivers had their license in the year 2000. That number dropped to 56% in 2021.
But, what do drivers think has changed?
Kayla Thomas-Wright, teen program coordinator for Strive for Safer Drive, a state program working to help teens learn how to drive safely, gave her thoughts.
"I would say social media," Kayla said. “We grew up in a time before social media, we grew up in a time when we didn’t have social media, and we would get home from school we would go outside, we would ask to be driven to our friend's house, they don’t have to do that anymore, they can FaceTime, they can Snapchat.”
She said there are other factors playing a part in the decrease, including not being able to afford driver's training, no way to and from the classes and after-school activities, like sports or theater.
Driver instructor and owner of 'Wheel to Drive', Aisha Hedwood, has another theory as to why more teens are choosing not to drive.
“One of the reasons is because teens have so many more options than they did in the past such as Uber, and Lyft," Hedwood said.
For teens who are driving, Hedwood recommends parents have patience, start on familiar routes, drive in a variety of weather and road conditions and lead by having good driving habits.
“Although it is really hard in the beginning, it will be worth it," Katherine said.
This story was originally published by Ali Hoxie at Scripps News Detroit.
