The Effectiveness of Driver Education and Information Programs in the State of Nevada

016515852014PDFTech Report528-12-803DistractionDriver educationDrugged driversDrunk driversEvaluationPedestriansStatistical analysisSurveysHighwaysSafety and Human FactorsWeb-based instructionUnited StatesNevadaNevada. Dept. of TransportationPaz-Cruz, AlexanderCopeland, David E.University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and ConstructionUniversity of Nevada, Las VegasNevada. Dept. of TransportationUS Transportation CollectionThe objectives of this project were 1) to examine the quality of Nevada\u2019s driver education by evaluating the effectiveness of its programs and 2) to provide recommendations to improve driving education in Nevada based on the results from this study. Two different surveys were conducted in Clark County, Southern Nevada. The first survey focused on assessing the strengths and limitations of the current Driver Education Programs in Nevada by capturing the opinions and attitudes of those who went through the process as teenagers. The second survey focused on driver safety through the involvement of pedestrians on the road. These surveys and the corresponding statistical analysis as well as the exiting literature have provided insights to improve driving education in Nevada. The corresponding recommendations were organized and provided into seven major categories: (i) lack of rigor of online driver education, (ii) interactive learning and technology, (iii) follow-up exams, (iv) practice/training at home, (v) collecting information about crashes, (vi) pedestrians, and (vii) additional emphasis. In particular, it is recommended to improve teaching and training in a number of ways. For example, considering the learning preference of the new generation of drivers, interactive web-based tools are recommended to complement the existing teaching methods in Nevada and the USA. The research team has begun developing various web-based interactive teaching modules to study and demonstrate the potential of this recommended method. Appendix C and D provide various design considerations and the corresponding screen shots for a prototype implementation. In addition, it is recommended to incorporate more pedestrian aspects into the driving education program curriculum. The existing driver education programs focuses more on the driver. By emphasizing that drivers and pedestrians share the road equally, this awareness may help reduce the number of car accidents and injuries in Nevada. Finally, due to the dangers of driving distractions (texting and calling on the cellphone) and impairments (driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs), more emphasis on these topics in driver education \u2013 as well as more public announcements through billboards, television commercials, and magazines \u2013 can help to constantly remind drivers about having good driving habits. Even though it is important to address what they should not do while driving, they also need to understand what they face as a consequence of being distracted or impaired: being fined or going to jail. Training that includes seeing images of car crashes may prove helpful