A review of the current state of driver education which references more than 100 national and international studies has led to the identification of some key components for success and a list of pitfalls to avoid when planning interventions.
The review, which was specially commissioned for the 2009 Road Safety Great Britain conference by Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire County Councils, examines education programmes for general, novice, mentally-impaired, professional and older drivers as well as violators.
Mike Motteram, chair of Road Safety GB East, said: “It is clear from the review that successful driver education initiatives target key messages at specific audiences and ensure that the content and method of delivery are well-suited.”
Dr Julie Gandolfi of Driving Research Ltd, who produced the report, said: “There are some key pitfalls to avoid such as trying to target too many groups with a single intervention. Many programmes seem to lack educational rigour or are unfocussed, and because of this there are minimal and inconsistent safety benefits.
“I would suggest that the ‘Goals for Driver Education matrix’ is a very useful tool to assist in planning for, and checking the effectiveness of, education interventions.”
Click here to download the full review.
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