A HISTORY OF WASHINGTON'S GROUP DYNAMICS PROGRAMS

A HISTORY OF THE USE OF GROUP PROGRAMS IN THE TREATMENT OF PROBLEM DRIVERS IN WASHINGTON STATE IS PRESENTED. THE PROGRAMS BEGAN IN AUGUST 1964, WITH A PILOT STUDY UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, D. C. PILOT WORK WAS CONFINED TO PIERCE COUNTY, WHERE GROUP DYNAMICS PROGRAMS WERE CONDUCTED THROUGH MARCH 1965. ALTHOUGH A NUMBER OF WEAKNESSES EXISTED IN THE TREATMENT OF CONTROL GROUPS AND THE STATISTICAL METHODS EMPLOYED, RESULTS SHOWED AN ENCOURAGING IMPROVEMENT AFTER SIX MONTHS IN THE RECORDS OF DRIVERS WHO COMPLETED THE GROUP DYNAMICS PROGRAM COMPARED TO THOSE WHO DID NOT. ON THE BASIS OF THESE RESULTS, THE PROGRAMS WERE CONTINUED IN PIERCE COUNTY AND EXPANDED TO INCLUDE KING AND SPOKANE COUNTIES IN 1966. A FOLLOW-UP ANALYSIS, CONDUCTED IN AUGUST 1966, REEXAMINED THE DRIVING RECORDS OF THE ORIGINAL TREATMENT AND CONTROL GROUPS FROM 18 TO 24 MONTHS AFTER THE PROGRAMS WERE CONDUCTED. MORE CAREFUL DEFINITION OF TREATMENT GROUP MEMBERS, MATCHING OF EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS, AND CONTROL FOR ELAPSED TIME PRODUCED STATISTICAL RESULTS SHOWING LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DRIVERS WHO COMPLETED THE PROGRAM AND THOSE WHO DID NOT. MEANWHILE, A REVISED RESEARCH DESIGN WAS DEVELOPED. IT INSURED GREATER COMPARABILITY BETWEEN TREATMENT AND CONTROL GROUP MEMBERS BY REQUIRING THAT CONTROL GROUP MEMBERS ALSO BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND ATTEND A GROUP MEETING. THE REVISED PROCEDURES WERE IN EFFECT IN THE SAME THREE COUNTIES BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1966 AND MAY 1967. ANALYSIS OF THESE DATA SHOWED DRIVING RECORD IN THE SIX MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT TO BE SLIGHTLY BETTER FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, BUT THE DIFFERENCES WERE VERY SMALL. REVISION OF THE PROGRAM CONTENT WAS UNDERTAKEN BY DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES STAFF LATE IN 1967. THE NEW ATTITUDE MODIFICATION SESSIONS WERE IMPLEMENTED IN 1968 AND BECAME PART OF A LARGER RESEARCH PROGRAM DESIGNED TO EVALUATE FOUR SEPARATE TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR PROBLEM DRIVERS AND TO DEVELOP A TREATMENT-PRESCRIBING QUESTIONNAIRE. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Report No 020, 43 PP, 5 TAB, 9 APP
• Corporate Authors:

  Washington State Department of Motor Vehicles

  Olympia, WA  United States  98501
• Authors:
  • WALLACE, J E
• Publication Date: 1969-4

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Behavior; Driver improvement programs; Dynamics; Groups; Problem drivers; Statistical analysis
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver improvement
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver improvement effort; Group behavior
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00220520
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 15 1994 12:00AM