Publication Details

Driver improvement clinic: A profile of participants

Type: Paper

Author(s): Waller, Patricia F.; Padgett, Susan S.

Pages: 51

Publisher: Governor's Highway Safety Program

Url: https://trid.trb.org/View/37686

Publication Date: Feb-1975

Address: Raleigh, NC

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to provide a profile of the North Carolina driver who is a participant in the driver improvement clinics operated under the auspices of the Division of Motor Vehicles. Information collected from 951 persons in the clinic was compared, first, with similar information on the entire licensed population of North Carolina, and, second, with comparable information from a sample of persons applying for driver license during the same time period that information was collected from clinic participants. In the latter comparisons the control population was matched three for one to the clinci group on the basis of age, race, and sex. On the basis of the information provided by drivers in this study, clinic participants have characteristics that clearly differentiate them from a control sample representing applicants for license at driver license examination stations and matched to the clinic sample on the basis of age, race, and sex. Several possible hypotheses may be derived from the findings. First, it may be that the high proportion of divorced and separated persons in the clinic sample reflect problems in inter-personal relations that may be reflected in driving problems. Second, the high proportion of clinic participants coming from Semi-skilled and Unskilled occupational backgrounds may suggest problems or life styles associated with this level of occupation that may be reflected in driving behavior. A third hypothesis is that the differences found in reported annual mileage are contributing to the differences in driver records. The evidence would support a hypothesis that the relatively greater difficulty experienced by the clinic population in comparison with the control population is a function of differences in both quantity and quality of exposure. If it is the case that the driving problems experienced by the clinic participants in comparison to their matched controls are to a large degree a function of amount and kind of exposure, then it should not be anticipated that the clinic experience would lead to a marked improvement in driving performance. The clinic is not designed to bring about changes in such exposure variables. There is a need for more intensive investigation aimed at discovering more specifically the causative factors leading to the driving difficulties experienced by the clinic participants.