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Abstract
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In a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study, Indiana University researchers cited human factors as the definite cause of 82.3% of the accidents they investigated, while vehicular factors could only be assigned 4.2% of the blame. Yet, in the face of this disproportionate driver/vehicle causative factor relationship, safety legislation and research continue to focus on the vehicle and its attendant safety features.
The authors support these efforts, but maintain a conviction that the single, most important "safety device" in any vehicle is a trained, safety-conscious vehicle operator.
In its current applications, driver education is generally presented in two formats. 1. Basic instruction to qualify a student for a motor vehicle operators permit. 2. Classroom instruction designed to provide license holders with the theory of defensive driving.
The authors contend that reliance solely on a visual aid presentation falls alarmingly short of adequate safe driving indoctrination in that the students are not afforded the opportunity to practice defensive driving techniques under controlled conditions.
This paper suggests that total driver development can be achieved only when the training curriculum includes behind-the- wheel instruction in accident avoidance and recovery, and offers as an example, the training of State Patrol officers conducted by the Road Atlanta Driver Development Center for the State of Georgia.
The problems of training drivers possessing long-established driving habits and inordinately high driving experience time periods are examined, and a analysis is made of the instructional methods which were successful in reducing the Patrol's total accident rate 40.94%, and initiating a reduction in annual insurance premium from $180.00 to $30.00 per vehicle.
A case is presented for expanding this type of training to include civilian students, and illustrated by an overview of the patrol school's civilian counterpart -- The Bobby Allison School of Safe Driving. |