Young drivers in the heartland are statistically improving, but a large number of traffic accidents in Nebraska and Iowa still involve at least one teen driver.

Many young drivers enroll in a driving school to gain experience behind the wheel and the Cornhusker Driving School course, taught by Bob Grabowski is one of them.

Student driver, Brittani Smith has learned that driving isn't easy.

"It's hard, I'm practicing with it, I mean I'm not just not going to learn it because I don't like it, it's a skill that everyone needs to know," said Smith.

Drivers ages 16 to 20 are responsible for a high number of fatal accidents, but the number has dropped in recent years.

Statistics released by the National Safety Council for the year 2004 show that nationally, one in five fatal accidents involve at least one teenage driver.

Young drivers in Iowa average a little worse than the National average, but the number is down 17 percent from 1994.

Young drivers in Nebraska are responsible for nearly one in every four fatal accidents. The number is 14 percent better than 1994, but is still high enough for Nebraska teen drivers to rank seventh in the nation.

Bob Grabowski says that driving is an acquired skill.

"It's one think to learn how to drive, it's another think to get out there, learn to drive defensively and sometimes it can take four or five years to get to that point," said Grabowski.

Grabowski said that another problem facing young drivers today is that roads are more crowded, there are more traffic lanes, more merges and mistakes made by all drivers.