Number 404 July 2011

U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Teen drivers have the highest crash rate per mile driven of any

age group (Williams, Ferguson, & Wells, 2005). Immaturity and

inexperience are two explanations for why novice teen drivers

have such a high crash risk (Arnett, 1992; Mayhew, Simpson,

& Pak, 2003; McCartt, Mayhew, & Ferguson, 2006). Immaturity

includes the heightened risk-taking behaviorteens exhibit. Lack

of experience has been linked to crashes regardless of the age at

which driving starts. High crash risk by teens can be accounted

for both by immaturity and inexperience acting simultaneously.

Both explanations can account for the higher teen crash risks

at night, due to speed, with passengers, and on slippery roads,

for example. Immaturity can lead teens to speed, drive recklessly in high-risk situations, and to succumb to peer pressure.

Inexperience can be especially problematic in difficult driving

situations and when there are a greater number of distractions.

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems have been shown to

be effective in reducing the high crash rates among teen drivers. GDL systems gradually introduce teen drivers to more

risky driving situations over time. GDL components usually

include a learner’s permit during which driving is allowed only

with a parent or instructor, nighttime restrictions that limit late

night driving, limitations on the number of passengers teens

may carry, a specified period of unsupervised driving without

crashes or violations (intermediate license), and prohibition of

use of any electronic device while driving.

Driver education has existed in the United States for almost

100 years, and the public has come to accept driver education

as a primary method for teaching the “rules of the road” and

basic driving skills to new drivers. Research studies, however,

generally have failed to demonstrate the effectiveness of driver

education in reducing crash rates among teen drivers and some

studies even show an increase in crashes following driver education. Some studies suggest that this negative effect occurs in

part because a teen can receive a license earlier following completion of a driver education course in some parts of the country. Earlier licensing gives a teen more opportunities to drive

and more opportunities to be involved in a crash. A few studies

have shown that supplemental driver training (after licensure

programs that teach advanced maneuvers, such as skid training) is also associated with increased crash risk.

Driver education still remains a standard for acquiring basic

driving skills, and most States require driver education training

for drivers 15 to 18 years old. Twenty-nine States require that

novice drivers take driver education, though at least 13 of those

States do not have a single curriculum that covers all courses

being taught in the State. Because there is variability in the curriculum, the method, and the extent of driver education among

different States, NHTSA conducted a study to gain a better

understanding of how the States across the Nation have implemented driver education.

As a national advocate for quality traffic safety education, the

American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association

(ADTSEA) created and published a driver education curriculum, updated in 2002. Until 2002, ADTSEA recommended 30

hours of classroom driver education to cover specific curricula

and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. The newest recommendations from ADTSEA call for 45 hours in the classroom

and 8 hours behind the wheel. The extent to which different

States follow these guidelines is unclear.

Comparing State Driver Education Curricula

Researchers obtained driver education curricula from 10

States. Seven of these States (California, Illinois, Louisiana,

Maine, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Texas) require driver

education prior to licensing and each has a single statewide

curriculum. Three States (Alabama, Minnesota, and North

Dakota) do not require driver education and do not have a

statewide curriculum. Researchers compared the State curricula to the ADTSEA curriculum.

As shown in Table 1, all States in the study fell short ofthe recommended number of instruction hours. Most of the States require

30 in-class hours and 6 behind-the-wheel hours of instruction,

which is consistent with the former ADTSEA guidelines. None

of the States use all of the ADTSEA-recommended material

in their driver education courses, but the States do address all

of the suggested in-class topics. With the exception of Rhode

Island, which does not require on-road training as part of its

driver education curriculum, the States’ curricula require all of

the topics recommended by ADTSEA; the time devoted to each

topic is likely to be lower than that proposed by ADTSEA given

the shorter time requirements for the State courses.

Driver Education Practices in Selected States

TRAFFIC TECH

Technology Transfer Series

Figure 1. Driver Education and Curriculum Control in the States

Not Required, State Control

Not Required, Local Control

Not Required, Unknown Control

Required, Unknown Control

Required, Local Control

Required, State Control
TRAFFIC TECH is a publication to disseminate information

about traffic safety programs, including evaluations, innovative programs, and new publications. Feel free to copy it

as you wish. If you would like to receive a copy, contact Julie

Korkor, fax 202-366-7394, e-mail: julie.korkor@dot.gov.

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., NTI-130

Washington, DC 20590

Teen Topical Discussions

Researchers recruited 57 teens from 18 randomly selected States

to take part in topical discussions of driver education (see Table

2). Each teen was about to start a driver education course and

agreed to participate for a $40 honorarium. Researchers contacted teens 3 to 4 times over the course of their driver education programs. A researcher asked the teens to identify the

topics covered in both the in-class and on-road portions of the

courses and to estimate the amount of time spent on each topic.

In general, the driver education courses matched their curricula. The majority of teens reported that their driver education

instructors taught the in-class and on-road topics suggested by

ADTSEA. Teens reported that the in-class portion of the course

lasted the designated amount of time. Thus, if the class was to

run 30 hours, the teens spent 30 hours in class. However, teens

reported that on average they spent only 4.6 hours actually

driving during the course. Forty-nine percent of teens received

less than 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. Only 11% of

the teens drove for the minimum 8 hours recommended by the

new ADTSEA curriculum.

Table 2. Number of Teens per State

State N State N

Alabama 2 Michigan 3

Arizona 1 Minnesota 3

California 7 Mississippi 2

Colorado 3 North Carolina 1

Connecticut 3 North Dakota 2

Florida 4 New Hampshire 3

Illinois 4 Rhode Island 5

Louisiana 4 Tennessee 6

Maine 3 Texas 1

Discussion

There are clear differences in the requirements for driver

education between States. Some States require DE for young

new drivers prior to licensure while others let the individual

decide whether to take DE. Some States vary the permit holding period depending on whether a driver chooses to take DE

and some States have their own curricula, which are required

by facilities that teach the course. Others leave the details up to

local entities.

The topics currently taught in driver education generally match

the ADTSEA recommendations. However, the actual time

required in the States’ driver education curricula falls short of

the newest ADTSEA guidelines. The time spent in the classroom portion of the course seems to be as described by the

States in terms of hours of in-class teaching according to a small

number of students. Parents and State officials should note

that driver education students report spending less than the

required time learning to drive behind the wheel of a vehicle

than what is expected based on the States’ curricula. The average 4.6 hours that teens estimated they spent driving is less than

the old ADTSEA recommendation of 6 hours and considerably

less than the new recommendation of 8 hours.

How to Order

To order Driver Education Practices in Selected States (23 pages

plus appendices) prepared by Preusser Research Group, write

to the Office of Behavioral Safety Research, NHTSA, NTI130, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, fax

202-366-7394, or download from www.nhtsa.gov.

Table 1. Comparison of State and ADTSEA Driver 

Education Curriculum

Class 

Hours

BehindtheWheel 

Hours

Number of 

Textbooks, 

Videos, & 

Resources

Number 

of 

In-Class 

Topics

Number 

of 

On-Road 

Lessons

ADTSEA 45 8 13 10 6

Alabama* 30 6 0 10 6

California 25 6 4 10 6

Illinois 30 6 6 10 6

Louisiana 30 6 3 10 6

Maine 30 10 4 10 6

Michigan 30 6 7 10 6

Minnesota* 30 6 4 10 6

North Dakota* 30 6 3 10 6

Rhode Island† 33 0 4 10 0

Texas 32 7 5 10 6

* Driver education is not required in this State.

†

 Does not require on-the-road training