Driver Education Justification

1
Driver Education Justification

• The Philosophy and Rationale supporting Driver
  Education for High School Youth

2
Driver Education Justification

• Arguments against Driver Education typically fall
  into one of the following four general
  categories
• There is no scientifically convincing evidence to
  prove that driver education reduces traffic
  accidents and the resulting deaths and injuries.

3
Driver Education Justification

• There are too many weak and ineffective programs
  in our schools and colleges, thus driver
  education is not meeting its traffic safety
  goals.
• The public is opposed to increased spending and
  driver education may not be worth the cost.

4
Driver Education Justification

• Driver Education is not a function of the schools.

5
Countering the No Evidence Objection

• There exists an equally powerful argument that
  there is no convincing evidence to prove that
  HSDE does NOT reduce accidents.
• Past research has illustrated the effectiveness
  of driver education.

6
Driver Education Studies

• 1963 Illinois study
• 1964 Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles
• 1973 Ohio study
• 1979 AETNA news release

7
Countering the Ineffective Programs Objection

• No other high school course is evaluated on the
  same terms as driver education.
• Are the criteria applied to driver education
  realistic?

8
Countering the Ineffective Programs Objection

• Should the program be responsible only for
  whether its students can drive safely and
  responsibly or whether they actually do drive in
  this manner?

9
Countering the Costs Too Much Objection

• The program is cost effective NHTSA report that
  indicated that the crash reduction savings gained
  in the first year of licensing alone is enough to
  offset the cost.

10
Philosophical Basis for Supporting Driver
Education

• If you believe that the passenger car is a
  necessity rather than a luxury for the majority
  of Americans to live the good life, and if you
  believe that the basic function of the American
  system of public education is citizenship
  preparation then it follows logically that every
  public school system is obligated to teach young
  people how to drive safety, efficiently, and
  enjoyably.

11
Philosophical Basis for Supporting Driver
Education

• Traffic Safety is a major national program
  priority. Therefore, if the major purpose of the
  American system of public education is
  citizenship preparation, the public schools must
  inform each student of the seriousness of the
  national traffic safety problem, probably causes
  and possible solutions.

12
Objective Rationale for Supporting Driver
Education

• High school educated drivers are safer drivers
• Insurance companies have granted 5 to 20
  reductions to young drivers who have successfully
  completed an approved driver education course.

13
Objective Rationale for Supporting Driver
Education

• Illinois study of young driver. This study
  showed that high school educated drivers had ¼ as
  many convictions for moving violations and
  accident involvement rates as uneducated young
  drivers. This is the only study to include
  commercial school evidence.

14
Objective Rationale for Supporting Driver
Education

• The public high school is the best place to teach
  driver education
• Unbiased educational approach
• Best prepared teachers
• Best facilities and equipment

15
Objective Rationale for Supporting Driver
Education

• The public high school is the best place to teach
  driver education
• Students are at the optimal age for learning,
  both psychologically and physiologically
• Less expensive for society as a whole
• Students are available in organized groups

16
Countering the Not a Function of the Schools
Objections

• Driver education does not subtract a substantial
  amount of time from other academic subjects.
• It can be argued that driving is the most
  important skill in contemporary society, insofar
  as the threat to human life is concerned. In any
  case, it is too important to learn by chance or
  in a haphazard fashion.