Teen driving deaths up in Arizona

PHOENIX - A new study by the Governors Highway Safety Association reveals a rise in the number of teen driving deaths.

Arizona is one of 23 states where the number of deaths went up.

For 16-year-old Zack McCormick, learning to drive is kind of a big deal for him; driving represents freedom.

“I don't want to rely on other people who to get where I'm going,” explains Zack.  “It's the whole self reliance thing."

That’s why Zack is taking driving lessons. He says the key to being a good driver is experience.

“I don't really think that written examples of traffic laws and accidents is any replacement for experience,” says Zach.

According to driving instructor Bertha Barrera, the 30 hours of supervised instruction required for a teen to get a license is not enough preparation to get behind the wheel.

“With this kind of risk-taking and the lack of experience, with 30 hours you don't get enough experience to operate a car safely,” says Barrera.

She also places blame on cell phones and text messaging, saying that she makes sure to remind her students that phone calls and text messages can wait.

“There is nothing more important than your life, not a phone call, not a text message, not reaching for a purse,” says Barrera.  “There is nothing more important than your life."

As for Zack, he says the statistics have definitely caught his attention.

“It's made me a lot more afraid of what I'm going to do compared to other drivers.”