What really happens when teens get behind the wheel on a Friday or Saturday night? Or when their friends join them in the car? This one-hour documentary takes an unprecedented look at what actually happens when newly licensed teenagers drive in Teens Behind the Wheel.

For the production, six boys and four girls from Greater Hartford, Connecticut, all of whom had just earned their driver’s licenses, agreed to have video cameras mounted to the windshields of their cars for six months.

“The results were absolutely dramatic and what was revealed on tape was far more shocking than anyone could imagine,” said director Jennifer Boyd. When Boyd first reviewed the footage, she was shocked by what she saw. “Oh, my gosh," she said, "I am never going out on a Friday or Saturday night again!” Boyd continued, “Stop signs are optional; stoplights… optional.”

During the production, the cameras recorded numerous crashes and traffic violations. However, the cameras were not intended to catch kids behaving badly, but to give viewers an accurate idea of what happens in and around a teenager’s car during the first six months of driving, Boyd said.

“There are all sorts of statistics surrounding teen driving. It is well documented, but this is the first time technology has allowed us to visually monitor driving behavior and to gain a better understanding of the meaning behind the statistics,” Boyd explained. “Hopefully, by examining the teen driving environment firsthand, we can help teens figure out how to become better drivers.”

“I think parents and teens can learn from the experiences of these 10 teens,” Boyd commented. “Hopefully, they’ll walk away feeling that this documentary isn’t preaching, isn’t lecturing, that it is merely looking at the environment.”