Driver education as known and experienced by a generation of novice drivers is disappearing. Whereas close to 80 percent of eligible high school students participated in school courses in the 1960s and 1970s, far less than half do in the 1990s and currently, and the proportion continues to decline. While the reasons are many, chief among them is a tightened economy that has squeezed many deserving subjects out of the curriculum. Evidence as to a cost-beneficial effect upon safety, which might have saved driver education, was not forthcoming. What will take the place of high school driver education is uncertain. Deciding what should take its place offers both challenge and opportunity. It was the subject of a 1998 mid-year meeting of the TRB Committee on Operator Education and Regulation (A3B03). The Committee addressed three topics: • Driver Needs–What drivers must learn about driving in order to meet their needs for mobility and safety, and how both can be facilitated by changes in lifestyle. • Beginning Driver Education–The content and methods of basic driver education, standards for graduation and initial licensing, and the responsibility for overseeing the process. • Advanced Driver Education–The objectives and incentives for instruction beyond the beginning stages, for drivers in general and those who have evidenced problems. This Circular contains authored papers, many by committee members. The papers offer a variety of recommendations for improving driver education. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting