The Northwestern University Traffic Safety School has begun its second decade with two new programs to improve driver safety. Both programs, as well as the School's basic four-hour course and Alive at 25 course for young drivers, are conducted for motorists who receive tickets for minor moving violations. Each year, approximately 48,000 people are killed and 1.8 million people are injured in traffic collisions. More than 77 percent of all collisions each year are due to driver error. The two new Traffic Safety School programs are intended to build on that success, according to Mary Clark, director of the Traffic Safety School division.
Discussion can range from aggressive drivers to use of seat belts to new laws that affect motorists.
Evidence shows that repeat traffic violators are three to four times more likely to be involved in traffic collisions than non violators, Weiss said. Judges in the two districts will assign traffic violators to the special course. The course is designed to change drivers' attitudes about driving rather than emphasize driving techniques. The DDC-ADD program draws on the work of William Glasser, a psychiatrist who developed a technique of behavior modification called Reality Therapy. The technique uses a method that teaches people how to direct their own lives, make more effective choices and better handle the stresses and problems of life.