BILLINGS — With traffic crashes remaining one of the leading causes of teen deaths in the United States, nearly 200 driving instructors and safety educators from across the country gathered this week in Billings to tackle the issue.
Watch the full video to hear Billings teens share their perspectives on driver's education at a national conference:
The American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA) hosted its 69th annual national conference at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center, running from Saturday through Wednesday. It brought together dozens of professionals committed to improving driver education. On Monday, a panel was led not by experts, but by teens themselves.
“No matter what state we reside in, teen traffic deaths are among the leading cause of teen deaths," said Brett Robinson, executive director of ADTSEA. "We've made a lot of progress in the last 20 years, but since COVID, crashes, fatalities, injuries are up among all ages, including teens."
According to the National Safety Council, in 2023, eight teenagers died on average in car crashes each day, a statistic that has only worsened since 2020. The conference focused on developing new strategies to reverse that trend, from using technology found in modern vehicles to adjusting how instructors engage with the next generation of drivers.
Monday’s session offered insight from Billings high school students who shared their personal experiences in their driver’s education courses and on the road. Among them were siblings Ellie and Wright Edwards. Wright, a sophomore, had just earned his driver's license last month and credits much of what he knows from watching his older sister.
“(Ellie's) kind of like a guinea pig, so I kind of piggyback off of what she did well and what she did bad,” said Wright.
“Driving a car is like having a loaded weapon. I mean, anything can happen in an instant," added Ellie, a senior. "I think I'm really grateful to have learned the importance of that, and we take driving super seriously in our family.”
The siblings were part of a group of students chosen by retired Senior High driver’s ed instructor Jodie Stugelmeyer. The session was designed to give educators a better understanding of how the younger generations learn best.
"We want to help instructors become better instructors, and as Generation Z is moving on and Generation Alpha is coming in, we wanted to have a session that talked about how to teach Generation Alpha," said Tim Beckham, ADTSEA project manager. "Instead of hearing it from somebody who is their same age and not that generation, hearing it from the generation, there's more impact.”
In the discussion led by Beckham, students emphasized hands-on learning, relevant real-world examples, and building strong teacher-student connections.
"We are fresh out of high school. We're learning it. These are all of our real-world experiences that are happening right now," said Ellie. "I think coming back to Earth and having a little bit more relevant teaching, I think, is super helpful."
For many instructors, Monday’s student-led discussion highlighted the importance of reaching out to the youth.
“I think that's one of our greatest opportunities is just to simply listen, learn from the teens. They can be brutally honest," said Robinson. "If it does not work, we need to evolve to meet their specific needs."
Montana was represented at the event by Jim Carroll, the executive secretary of the Montana Traffic Education Association and driving instructor from Conrad. Not only was Carroll the only instructor from the state attending, but he also helped organize the event.
"We're trying to pick up things that other states might be using that would help us as teachers, and I think they're picking up some things that we do in more of the rural areas as well,” said Carroll. “The teen drivers are the ones that are going to be driving in the future, and statistically they have the greatest number of crash risks because of their lack of experience, so one of our roles is to give them some tools that they can manage that very complex driving environment."
After the teen session, he was one of four educators honored with the Teacher Excellence Award. Michelle Anderson of the National Road Safety Foundation, the nonprofit organization that presented the award, said that the honor is given to those who show excellence in driver's training and education.
"Their work is important. It goes beyond the classroom. This lasts with the young people that they're teaching and training for years and years to come," said Anderson.
The topics discussed in the conference could be implemented into future driver curricula across the country.
"Driving is, I feel like a lot of people in this country look at it as like a necessary evil. There's going to be deaths because we want to drive, and that's just the way it is, and that's not the way it should be," said Beckham.
For the teens, the conversations reminded them that every decision behind the wheel has real-life consequences and that change starts with them.
“Obviously if we're driving around, we'd like to make the streets as safe as possible because we have things we want to do, and I know everyone else does too," said Wright.
“We're all here to enjoy an amazing life, so I think keep it that way," added Ellie.
