Drivers education classes are helping to guide students through the driving system. When school is in session and during summer school is when these classes take place. 

 Jim Middleton is the driving instructor for the drivers ed classes. He said that one of the most common deaths to teens is driving. He said this class helps with decreasing those  numbers. 

“Every state must have a graduated drivers license law and that was in response to students of teenage years, their number one  cause of death was car crashes,” Middleton said. 

Ethan Turpin is a freshman who is taking the class this semester and he says the class helps with teaching students how to drive. He also thinks the class helps teens be more informed about the laws and rules of the road, what not to do and what exactly to do in situations. 

“It’s very helpful if you are about to take your permit test or drivers test, [you] get that information, and he teaches it well [He says what needs to be said, and doesn’t try to beat around the bush] He tells you what you need to know,” Turpin said. 

Summer school drivers ed classes look a bit different from regular in school classes. The summer school class is really more about the driving portion, but they do have days  where everything is online where they learn the rest of the textbook information they need. 

“They are the same kind of concept during the fall and spring semesters. The big difference is in the summer, where we have the driving component itself, and that’s for students who are in the car for a  [3 day period for 6 hours] with two other students. Typically each student drives for 20 minutes and then we switch cause there are 3 drivers in the car total. [It’s not one student driving for 6 hours],” Middleton said. 

Alex Rapp is a senior at the Nixa high school who has taken the summer school drivers ed class, he said it wasn’t too difficult but not very simple either. 

“[The class} was like any other launch class, then at the end there were 3 or 4 days where me and two other guys took turns driving. It was 3 shifts of 2 hours and it was all around the same little areas, just the same stuff,” Rapp said. 

Teens tend to make mistakes when it comes to driving, whether it’s making bad choices or not being good at a particular skill. Teens sometimes worry about what might happen when they are on the road.

“[I worry about] hitting someone or driving off the road, I haven’t yet, yet bring the main word there,” Rapp said. 

Turpin said the parking portion of the class helped him.

“I would definitely say .. parallel parking, that’s a big one. Getting the technique right, adjusting the mirrors, parking the right way, not going over the speed limit. [Because] I kinda drift off easily and not pay attention very well, and driving on highways, oh, I don’t wanna do that,” said Turpin.