Some local high school students took part in a Teen Driver Challenge hosted by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday.
It took place at the Public Safety Training Complex at Allan Hancock College in Lompoc.
The idea behind the program is to help young drivers learn about factors that contribute to car crashes like speeding, driving under the influence, and texting while driving.
Teen drivers who took part in the program on Wednesday said they appreciated the experience.
"I'm not one to go out and drift my car randomly so getting this actual experience being able to do that was really nice really fun," said Dominic Roide, San Luis Obispo High School senior.
"Once you have control of the car, you feel safer and just the fact that I've been through this experience now just makes me like, not excited to go through something dangerous, but safe and content with the fact that I will be safer and just have that opportunity to feel safe," said Isabella Newling, San Luis Obispo High School senior.
The program hopes to prevent car crashes, which the Centers for Disease Control's Motor Vehicle Division says is the leading cause of death among teenagers.
