Institute for Transportation

About the research

Effective driver education should provide a solid foundation for novice drivers in order to establish good driving habits and be prepared for the variety of driving conditions present in Iowa. Accomplishing this requires a data-driven, scientific approach to understand the safety issues and challenges for novice drivers in order to develop a driver education curriculum that meets their needs. On the other hand, development and maintenance of an entire Driver Education program similar to what is currently available from vendors is a rather resource- and time-intensive undertaking. This research takes a balanced approach in addressing the core driver education needs in Iowa while leveraging existing resources. Specifically, the project will accomplish the following:

• Compare the current Iowa driver education curriculum against national/regional programs and standards and identify gaps
• Survey professional and parent driving instructors in Iowa to identify gaps and best practices
• Identify novice driver safety issues through a summary of available information and analyses of the Iowa crash data
• Identify gaps in the Iowa Driver Education curriculum using the information gathered in project activities
• Develop curriculum content for the most critical gaps
• Develop an outline of suggested content for a driving curriculum that meet the needs of novice drivers in Iowa
• Provide guidance for incorporation of the proposed curriculum and developed content use and incorporation by vendors and driving instructors
• Provide guidance to assist private vendors/instructors on updating teaching and delivery methods
• Develop guidelines for adoption of curriculums by private vendors for Iowa
• Develop recommendations on teaching and delivery methods
• Draft language to incorporate changes into the Iowa Code