AN EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DRIVER EDUCATION IN REDUCING ACCIDENTS TO YOUNG PEOPLE

It was decided by the Automobile Association to try to establish in the United Kingdom an experimental project aimed at assessing the influence of driver and traffic education on the subsequent behavior of adolescents. The AA was interested in possible reduction in the high accident rate for adolescents which might result from such education. The main project work was carried out by the University of Salford from 1968 to the end of 1972. Driver education in the USA and Great Britain is described and evaluated. Effectiveness of driver education in Australia is analyzed by comparing records of formally and informally trained drivers. The evaluative criteria consisted of accident and traffic offenses and short term, intermediate and long term criteria. Major variables are controlled by either the sampling or the experimental technique. Histories of the students in both the experimental and control groups required over a 2 year period after completion or non-completion of the course. Short term results included comparing knowledge scores of various groups of students. The more knowledgable the student, the better the driver. Intermediate effects; the course helped achieve the national driving test standard with fewer hours behind the wheel, less hours for boys than girls. Trained students wore their seat belts more. Two years after the course trained and male students were better drivers. Longer term effects; trained students had fewer accidents but training in school had little effect on accidents. Main usefullness of the studies will be information about driving careers of young people and implications for education of young drivers. (MW)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Related is the similarly-titled March 1970 report from this project, SRIS 740138.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Salford

  Centre for Transport Studies
  Salford 5, Lancashire,   England 
• Authors:
  • RAYMOND, S
  • Jolly, K W
  • RISK, A W
  • Shaoul, J E
• Publication Date: 1973-7

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 238 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Driver improvement programs; Driver performance; Driver training; Drivers; Evaluation; Personnel performance; Teenage drivers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver improvement
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00084395
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 2 1975 12:00AM