The decision to teach teens as well has been made in response to the studies that have showed that there is a disproportionately high driving incident rate among teen novice drivers. More precisely, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teens aged 16-19 are four times more likely to crash than adults.
The official date when the driving courses begin has not yet been announced. Daimler says that everything should be in place by the end of the current year, with special emphasis to be placed on “teaching teenagers the skills and competencies for safe and enjoyable driving.” Also, there is no information available at this point on what vehicles Mercedes will use to teach young drivers the proper way of responding to challenges on the roads.
Mercedes has already launched a similar program in the UK, where the results of the sessions held since 2009 speak for themselves: 4,500 students have enrolled in the program, 79 percent of which passed at their first attempt.
"Despite the dramatic changes in vehicles, highways, and the driving environment over the past 60 years, driver education remains relatively unchanged in the U.S.," said Alexander Hobbach, Daimler AG senior manager.
"The skills required to simply get a license do not fully prepare young drivers to meet the demands of the road. Mercedes-Benz recognizes this issue and as a result is creating an educational program for the U.S. that is based on the best teaching methods and tools available."
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