EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
Rules of the road, one of many lessons learned by teen drivers at Roberts Stadium on Tuesday.
This training is called Rule the Road is all put together by the Evansville Vanderburgh County Traffic Safety Partnership and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
The sheriff's office says they consider it a sort of extra credit for drivers ed students.
For a lot of high schoolers, turning 16 means freedom. Catherine Schneider is a junior at Mater Dei and says she just got her license on Friday.
She was one of 65 students fine tuning their skills behind the wheel. In a drill, Catherine's practicing what to do if something, or someone, suddenly stops in front of her or darts in the road.
Despite a slightly less than perfect run, Catherine's instructor gave her high marks.
"She's doing really good. That last one, we got more speed up so she went the wrong way and she didn't get back into her lane, but she's doing really good," the instructor said.
This is just part of the training.
"We're trying to present them with challenges where they have to make a split second decision and then show them what happens in certain decisions that they make," said Dave Wedding, with the sheriff's office.
The students also practiced reacting to a skid or spin out, saw the effects of driving impaired, and found out just how powerful a crash impact can be at just seven miles an hour.
"I was surprised because I don't want to know what it's like at like 35 or 40," Catherine said.
For these students just starting out on the road, it's a good bonus lesson to what they've already learned.
"It helps your body remember what you did here when you're in that situation in real life and it may save your life one day," said teen driver, Jacob Winiger
"I think it helps cause it's stuff that really does happen and people don't really think about it until that moment comes," Catherine said.
The sheriff's office tells 14 News this is a great program, but they hope parents will also spend more time educating their children and driving with them helping them learn the rules of the road.
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For a lot of high schoolers, turning 16 means freedom.
