This report summarizes the results of a study of supplementary driver training, conducted by Dunlap and Associates, Inc. for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For the purposes of this study, “supplementary driver training” refers to programs that are intended to improve the abilities of young new drivers by teaching higher-order vehicle handling and cognitive skills not typically covered in traditional basic driver education (e.g., skid recovery and hazard anticipation). While such programs may take a variety of different forms, they typically pick up where basic driver education — which is designed to prepare teens to pass their state’s licensure exams — leaves off, and provide more advanced training to newly-licensed or permitted drivers. These programs have been gaining in popularity due to persistently-high crash rates of young drivers, and increasing doubts about the effectiveness and safety benefits of traditional driver education. To date, however, very little research has been conducted on supplementary training programs; this NHTSA study represents an initial undertaking to document, classify, and describe the supplementary programs available to young drivers today and to lay the groundwork for future scientific evaluation of their effectiveness in creating safer drivers (such an evaluation was beyond the scope of the current study). Other types of advanced driver training programs — such as those designed solely for thrill seekers or professional drivers — fell outside the scope of the study. The purpose of this AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report is to highlight the study’s major findings, particularly those relevant to policymakers, driving school owners, and parents and other potential consumers of such programs. The full report, Examination of Supplementary Driver Training and Online Basic Driver Education (DTNH22-05-D-35043), is available from NHTSA (http://www.nhtsa.gov/). (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting