1396 PROCEEDINGS of the HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS SOCIETY 42nd ANNUAL MEETING-1998 DRIVER EDUCATION CURRICULUM OUTLINE

The purpose of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety outline project was to initiate program development which could lead to “reinventing ” a more intensive, comprehensive, and effective driver education system, which could lead to crash reduction in novice drivers. The project reviewed knowledge in a number of areas- driver education effectiveness, novice drivers ’ needs, and methods of instruction and behavioral influence. The traditional education model used for driver education is inadequate, and fundamental changes in content, methods, and organization are needed. New developments and synergies among education methods, training technologies, organizational change, and demand for quality promise a new and more effective role for driver education in the 21 ” Century. THE STATE OF DRIVER EDUCATION The intent of this paper is to briefly identify the areas of change needed to give driver education a positive safety impact. At the present time, supporting mobility is the main function of formal driver educa-tion (DE). New drivers need to learn the skills to handle a vehicle and interact with other road users well enough to pass a licensing test and satisfy the safety concerns of parents/guardians. Driver education helps meet this need. While this is a valuable service, there has always been a desire for DE to help novice drivers perform more safely. The DeKalb County study was a major experimental trial of the safety impact of a specially developed, intensive DE program. When it failed to show a net safety benefit, much support for DE was lost. Some jurisdictions and private organizations have continued to develop their programs, but overall DE has suffered a decline of support since the DeKalb report in the early 80’s. It is widely recognized that a renewal of DE is needed (e.g., Mayhew &amp