My 7th Outline (not oral)
Continual Driver’s Education
This is a presentation of Road Rage and Aggressive Driving pages 190-202
Written by Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl
Published by Prometheus Books
www.drdriving.com
By: Leanna Bergeron

Instructions for this oral presentation are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/g22-oral.htm

I. Teenagers

A. Car crashes kill are the leading cause of death of people ages 15-20 years old.

1. Most crashes are the result of driver error.

2. NHTSA reports that a 16 year old is 42% more likely to be involved in a crash

than a 17 year old

B. To attempt to curb the growing number of incidents involving young drivers many states are taking actions to help and protect young drivers

1. graduated licensing

2. more in-depth driver’s education including tips for parents on preventing

Crashes

C. My Opinion: I went through a graduated licensing approach. From the age of 15 to 16 I had a permit that allowed me to drive only with another licensed driver over the age of 25. I believe that was a great thing for me because it gave me experience behind the wheel with another older more experienced driver for 1 year. I believe graduated licenses could make a world of difference for young drivers.

II. Driver’s Ed for Younger Children

A. Introducing safe driving practices at a young age: focusing on affective driving for elementary school children.

B. Under this program children learn skills such as

1. How driving stress is created

2. Becoming aware of our anger in disputes

3. To avoid learned aggression while in the vehicle

4. To practice self-witnessing

C. My Opinion: I believe the earlier we can start teaching children about safe driving habits the better off we all are. One of the main influences in a child’s life is their parents. If a child’s parents have bad driving habits the odds that they will grow up to have bad driving habits is very likely. If we can curtail some of these bad habits at an early age we can hopefully make the children better drivers regardless of their home environments.

III. Ouality Driving Circles (QDC’s)

A. QDC: voluntary groups of 2 to 10 drivers who meet regularly to help and encourage one another to follow a driving self- improvement plan

B. For many drivers support from others can make the real difference as to whether or not they can change their bad habits. It is easier for one to recognize his or her own faults when he or she sees that they are not alone.

C. There are different types of QDC’s. They can be virtual or physical. They can be within families, within neighborhoods, or within a workplace. In order for QDC’s to be successful, it is important that they meet regularly.

D. My Opinion: I believe QDC’s could be successful at improving driving if those involved in the groups are serious about changing and stick to their schedule.

Links:

http://www.hwysafety.org/safety_facts/teens/teenager.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=4817

My home page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/bergeron/home.htm