AN EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF DRIVER EDUCATION

THIS WORK ON DRIVER EDUCATION STEMS FROM A LARGER WORK INITIATED BY THE SENIOR AUTHOR (F.L.M.) IN 1961, WHEN EXTENSIVE BIOGRAPHICAL AND OTHER PERSONAL DATA WERE GATHERED ON A SERIES OF LICENSE APPLICANTS IN JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI. A TWO YEAR FOLLOW-UP PRODUCED DATA ON ACCIDENTS, VIOLATIONS, EXPOSURE, ETC. FOR 2797 SUBJECTS. AMONG THESE DATA WAS INFORMATION CONCERNING HOW EACH PERSON LEARNED TO DRIVE (SELF-TAUGHT, PEERS, PARENT, FORMAL DRIVER TRAINING, ETC.) WHICH WAS THEN CORRELATED WITH RESULTANT ACCIDENT AND VIOLATION BEHAVIOR. THESE FINDINGS WERE REPORTED TO A MEETING OF THE NATIONAL SAFETY CONGRESS IM 1967, INDICATING NOT ONLY THE LACK OF CORRELATION BETWEEN FORMAL DRIVER TRAINING AND ACCIDENTS/VIOLATIONS, BUT ALSO EMPIRICALLY DEMONSTRATING HOW PREVIOUS STUDIES HAD ARRIVED AT CONTRARY FINDINGS AS THE RESULT OF FAULTY EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN. IN ADDITION TO PRESENTING ALL AVAILABLE DATA CONCERNING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DRIVER EDUCATION, A MAJOR AIM OF THIS WORK IS TO PRESENT IN DETAIL THE MANY METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS INHERENT IN SUCH RESEARCH. THIS IS ATTEMPTED BY FIRST EXPLORING THOSE EXPERIMENTAL ERRORS PRESENT IN MUCH OF THE WORK NOW IN PRINT. SECONDLY THOSE STUDIES WHICH MEET AT LEAST MINIMUM STANDARDS ARE PRESENTED IN CONSIDERABLE DETAIL. THIS IS DONE IN ORDER TO PRESENT THE READER WITH ADDITIONAL AND EMPIRICAL DEMONSTRATIONS OF ADEQUATE RESEARCH TECHNIQUE AND EXPOSE HIM TO THE RESEARCHER'S LOGIC, AS WELL AS PRESENTING ACTUAL FINDINGS. THREE OF THESE STUDIES ARE PRESENTED HEREIN FOR THE FIRST TIME. NEW DATA ARE ALSO PRESENTED CONCERNING PROBLEMS IN METHODOLOGY, SUCH AS THE NATURE OF SYSTEMATIC ERRORS INHERENT IN OFFICAL MOTOR VEHICLE DEPARTMENT RECORDS, A LIST OF BIOGRAPHICAL VARIABLES FOUND SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH ACCIDENT FREQUENCY, AND THE USE OF DIFFERENT MEASURES OF DRIVING EXPOSURE. /SRIS/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Rept No Ui 0043, 172 PP, 3 FIG, 27 TAB, 69 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Irvine

  College of Medicine
  Irvine, CA  United States 
• Authors:
  • McGuire, F L
  • Kersh, R C
• Publication Date: 1968

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash rates; Driver training; Drivers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Violations
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00220816
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 9 1970 12:00AM