Driver's education is a fundamental tool necessary for inexperienced drivers to learn how to operate a motor vehicle safely. In North Dakota, a new Graduated Driver's License process – one which utilizes learner, intermediate, and full driver stages – has been incorporated into the North Dakota Driver Risk Prevention Curriculum (NDRPC). The curriculum emphasizes skills, behaviours, and knowledge in order to educate future drivers. Coupled with recent legislation prohibiting cell phone use to text while driving, the latest curriculum was designed to prioritise safety on North Dakota's roadways. A survey questionnaire was presented to driver's education instructors at the annual North Dakota Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association conference to better understand the perceptions of educators regarding the NDRPC. Nominal, ordinal, and scale survey responses were quantified for statistical analysis and written responses were organized, coded, and analysed via emergent theme content analysis. The study addresses two key goals related to improving traffic safety in North Dakota: first, to measure driver's education instructor perceptions of the new curriculum; and, second, to evaluate the new curriculum in relation to its usage in schools. Survey results indicate that instructors prioritise some preparedness indicators and skills differently. Involving parents and increasing the amount of time spent learning and practising driving appears to be beneficial, but further improvements can be made. (Author/publisher)
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