It's a rite of passage for every teenager: learning how to drive. But some parents are choosing to wait longer before allowing their children to get drivers licenses, and with good reason.
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Teen drivers are four times more likely to crash, and more than 60 percent of teens will be in a car crash their first year of driving.
"Ninety percent of crashes are due to human error,” said Carolyn Duchene, director of the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy. “We could build the safest cars in the world, but if we turn the keys over to someone who hasn't been properly trained, all bets are off.
“Distractions put you at 23 percent more risk of getting into a crash. That could be texting or someone talking to you from the back seat."
The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy is a teen education and training center in Los Angeles. It’s the only one of its kind in the U.S.
“What we do with the coaching approach is have them make decisions from the first time they're behind the wheel,” said Duchene.
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What also makes this program unique is the parental involvement.
“As a parent, I get to go on a driving lesson where I’m coached on how to coach my daughters when they’re driving,” said Mary Louise Piccard.
The Mercedes-Benz program isn't cheap, at just under $1,400 for the six month program.
Duchene said their curriculum goes far beyond the state requirements – more than doubling the amount of time behind the wheel, including night and freeway driving and a lesson on distracted driving.
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