Publication Details

Evaluation of an advanced driver training program for young traffic offenders

Type: conferencePapers

Author(s): Foss, Robert D.; Wang, Yudan Chen; O'Brien, Natalie P.; Goodwin, Arthur H.; Harrell, Stephanie

Pages: 9

Publisher: Transportation Research Board

Url: https://trid.trb.org/View/1572719

Publication Date: Jan-2019

Address: Washington, DC

Abstract: Advanced driver training programs are a broadly popular approach to improve young driver safety in the U.S. Typically offered by auto manufacturers, law enforcement officers, professional race car teams and amateur auto enthusiast clubs, these programs provide behind-the-wheel experiences in controlled settings that are thought by parents, teens and others to be highly valuable. However, none of these programs have been carefully evaluated. The authors randomly assigned 599 young drivers who had received a traffic citation to one such program, or a control condition involving traditional classroom traffic safety education. Time-to-event (survival) analyses of participants’ subsequent crash experience over the course of 550 days revealed no meaningful difference in time to a crash for those who participated in the experimental or control courses, or those who failed to complete either. A strength of the study was the random assignment of participants to conditions, ruling out self-selection bias. However, traffic offenders presented a severe challenge for a training program as this group had already developed a higher risk driving demeanor than is the case in the broader population of young drivers. Additional research on a population of drivers who are earlier in their driving careers and have not yet developed a risky driving orientation, with a similarly strong experimental design, is urgently needed to inform traffic safety practitioners and parents about the potential value of such hands-on programs. Paper No. 19-01079

Conference name: Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting