Evaluation of pre-driver education program

Monash University Accident Research Centre - Report #167 - 2000

Authors: N. Haworth, N. Kowadlo & C. Tingvall

Abstract:

This report aimed to compare the effects of pre-driver education programs at rural secondary schools which have an in-car component (driving a car in an off-road environment) with the effects of pre-driver education programs which do not have this component. Thus, the study attempted to measure the net effects of the in-car component of these programs. Data was collected by mail-back questionnaire.

Respondents who had completed a pre-driver education program with an in-car component obtained their learner permits and probationary licences at lower average ages than the respondents who had not. However, the two groups did not differ in the duration that the learner permit was held or the amount of experience obtained during this period.

Completing a pre-driver education program with an in-car component led to a non-significant reduction in accidents and a non-significant increase in traffic offences. The respondents who had completed a pre-driver education program with an in-car component and those who had not did not differ significantly on most measures of driving-related attitudes and behaviours. These measures were, however, sensitive to accident and traffic offence history.

Further research is needed to examine whether there are short-term positive effects of pre-driver education with an in-car component and whether these effects justify the resources required for delivery of the in-car component.

Executive Summary

Questionnaires were sent to 2,000 people aged 18 to 29 in the Federal electoral divisions of Mallee and McEwen (both rural areas of Victoria). Completed questionnaires were received from 687 respondents.

The analyses showed that the respondents who had completed a pre-driver education program with an in-car component obtained their learner permits and probationary licences at lower average ages than the respondents who had not. However, the two groups did not differ in the duration that the learner permit was held or the amount of experience obtained during this period.

Completing a pre-driver education program with an in-car component led to a non-significant reduction in accidents and a non-significant increase in traffic offences. The major factors associated with having had accidents or traffic offences were driver age, sex and the amount of driving that took place in the Melbourne metropolitan area.

The respondents who had completed a pre-driver education program with an in-car component and those who had not did not differ significantly on most measures of driving-related attitudes and behaviours. These measures were, however, sensitive to accident and traffic offence history.

The results were similar whether the cases were defined as drivers who had completed the pre-driver education program at Alexandra Secondary College or CHARTSEC, or the cases were defined as all those who had completed any school-based pre-driver education program with an in-car component.

It should be noted that the analyses compared drivers who had undertaken pre-driver education programs with an in-car component (cases) with drivers who had not (controls). The controls were a mixture of drivers who had undertaken pre-driver education programs without an in-car component and drivers who had not undertaken a pre-driver education program. Thus, the finding that cases received learner permits and probationary licences earlier than controls may not have been an effect purely of the in-car component. It is possible that the more widespread completion of the classroom component by cases than controls may have also contributed to this finding.

Three potential issues which could affect the representativeness of the data were identified:

possible differences between people who were still living at their enrolled address and those who were not
the lack of data from people who had been killed or injured severely enough to prevent them completing the questionnaire
possible differences in accident and infringement history between those who returned the questionnaire and those who did not

However, the effect of these three factors, separately and combined, on the results of the study is likely to have been small.

The study examined the effects of pre-driver programs with an in-car component delivered to students aged 15 or 16 years in country schools. The minimum learner permit age was 16 for most of the students. The extent to which the results can be generalised to students in city schools or older students or jurisdictions where the minimum learner permit age is different may be limited.

Like earlier, larger studies, the current study found that students assigned to the improved curriculum were licensed earlier. In contrast to some of the earlier studies, the current study found no increase in accident involvement or traffic offences for students who had completed pre-driver education with an in-car component. This may be because the earlier licensing in this study allowed accompanied driving only. Thus, pre-driver education prior to a learner permit may not be subject to the same possibility of negative effects as found in jurisdictions where there is not a learner permit system.

Sponsoring organisation: Community Support Fund Victoria