One way to attempt to reduce the problem of teen driving crashes is professional driver education. However, despite the seemingly universal appeal of driver education, scientific evaluations have indicated that such programs generally do not produce safer drivers. Perhaps most noteworthy is the DeKalb study where driving tasks were established, ranked, and used to create a state-of-the-art program, the Safe Performance Curriculum (SPC), which overall did not reduce crashes. There have been many additional studies since DeKalb, nearly all showing similar results. In evaluating the new American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA) program, there are basically two design alternatives: the random assignment study, as in DeKalb, and some variation of a quasi-experimental design. No study can be done presently as the program has been introduced only in limited ways. As nearly all prior driver education program evaluations have found either zero or adverse effects on crashes, in undertaking an evaluation, the possibility of similar outcomes needs to be considered. (Author/publisher)
Abstract