Driver Education

Responsible Driving

(Red book copyright 2006)

Chapter 1-Driving & Mobility

Notes

What Can You Gain from a Driver Education Course?

• As young adults you want to have mobility - the ability to move or be moved. The opportunity to have a driver’s license gives you independence.

• Young drivers are involved in 14% of all motor vehicle crashes, and most of these crashes

can be prevented. Fatal crash involvement is 38%.

• You will be sharing the road with 194

million other licensed drivers nationwide. NJ alone has 5.1 million licensed drivers.

What will you learn in Driver Education?• Information and skills about driving

• Understanding the importance of being alert

• Gain knowledge about driving as a life-long skill

• How to prevent crashes

A crash is when a motor vehicle hits another motor vehicle, pedestrian, animal, bicyclist or any fixed object.

What will you learn in Driver Education continued?

• More mobility means spending more money

• Being able to handle a wide range of driving situations

• Understand some of the problems of driving

• Like awareness of limiting factors (such as risk, illness, injury, side effects of medication and emotional state of the driver

Driver Education is taught to help PREVENT accidents among young drivers

• Lack of experience is prevented by gaining experience with parents/instructors in different driving environments.

• Knowing the different driving dangerous times

• Limiting the transporting of passengers

• Knowing that young drivers, drive differently such as speeding, distractions, space awareness, wearing seatbelts etc.

The Highway Transportation system (HTS)

• Regulated by federal, state and local governments working together to make a safer system

• To set uniform standards for vehicles and safety• Federal law established in 1974 said the maximum speed

limit is 55 mph. • In 1995, the law was

changed that each state can

set their own highway speed limits

Highway Transportation System

• The system itself includes:• Roadways • People• Motor Vehicles• There are more than 194 million licensed drivers

using the HTS and 55 million pedestrians and bicyclists who use the HTS as well.

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The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act

• Requires automakers to build certain safety features into their vehicles (examples - safety belts and shatterproof windows)

• Requires manufacturers to correct vehicle defects known as recalls.

• Recalls are very well know in today’s society, can you think of any recently?

The National Highway Safety Act

Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson• President Johnson signed this act into law,

September 9, 1966. • The reason for this law is because of the

rising number of fatalities on American highways between 1960 and 1965.

• There were more Americans killed on the HTS than all the wars combined prior to that point of time.

The National Highway Safety ActSigned into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson

• Establishes guidelines for State & Federal motor vehicle safety programs.

• Gives authority to each state to monitor:• Vehicle registration & inspection

• Driver licensing regulations & driving hours

• Traffic laws & traffic court

• Highway construction & maintenance

The Risks of Driving• Risk is the possibility of personal injury or damage to

vehicles & property• In a given year, 1 in 9 teenage drivers will be involved in a

crash • Teens represent 14% of all drivers yet are involved in 38%

of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving people between the ages of 15 - 20. (2006)

• Anyone who operates or gets into a motor vehicle is potentially at risk

• Do you know of some ways we can reduce our risk?

Reducing the Risks

• Keep your vehicle in top condition

• Anticipate the actions of other roadway users

• Protect yourself & other roadway users

• Drive only when you are in sound physical & mental condition

• Make a conscious effort to develop your driving skills

• Practice, practice, practice!

Visibility, Time, & Space

• Visibility - what you can see from behind the wheel and how well you see it.

• Time - ability to judge your speed and speed of other vehicles.

• Space - refers to distance, keep a margin of space between your vehicle & other vehicles. AKA the space cushion!