Driver's education

Driver student takes exercises in winter weather (Russia, 2002)

Driver's education, driver's ed, or driving tuition or driving lessons is a formal class or program that prepares a new driver to obtain a learner's permit or driver's license. The formal class program may also prepare existing license holders for an overseas license conversion or medical assessment driving test or refresher course. It may take place in a classroom, in a vehicle, online, or a combination of the above. Topics of instruction include traffic code or laws and vehicle operation. Typically, instruction will warn of dangerous conditions in driving such as road conditions, driver impairments, and hazardous weather. Instructional videos may also be shown, demonstrating proper driving strategies and the consequences for not observing the rules.

Education is intended to supplement the knowledge obtained from government-printed driving handbooks or manuals and prepares students for tests to obtain a driver's license or learner's permit. In-car instruction places a student in a vehicle with an instructor. A car fitted with dual controls, which has pedals or other controls on the passenger side, may be used.

History

Driver training began as a business in the United Kingdom in 1909-1910. The British School of Motoring (BSM) was founded in 1910 in South London by Hugh Stanley Roberts. It offered hands-on training and courses in driving skills (managing the controls and road aptitude) and repair. It also soon offered vehicles out for hire to drivers who wanted to practise.^[1][2]

In the US, Amos Neyhart, a professor at Penn State University, started the first high school driver's ed course in 1934 at a high school in State College, Pennsylvania.^[3]

Instruction

Student drivers take turns practicing in a Ford Taurus instructional vehicle in Durham, North Carolina

Driver's education is intended to supplement the knowledge obtained from government-printed driving handbooks or manuals and prepares students for tests to obtain a driver's license or learner's permit. In-car instruction places a student in a vehicle with an instructor. A car fitted with dual controls, which has pedals or other controls on the passenger side, may be used. In the United States, Driver's Education is typically offered to students who are sixteen years old or will be by the end of the course. Each state has its own laws regarding the licensing of teenagers.

Online courses

An online driving education is one of the most affordable and convenient ways to acquire driving education. Many driver's education courses are available online.^[4] It is up to the relevant government authority to accept any such programs as meeting their requirements. Some car insurance agencies offer discounts to those students who have completed a driver's education program. Online programs allow parents to administer the behind the wheel driving instruction.^[5] Many studies have also started looking at the relationship between online activity, especially among the young adults, and driving licence holding^[6]

Obtaining a license

Successful completion of a driver education course is required by many agencies before young drivers receive their driver license or learner's permit. In some countries students taking driver's education have the opportunity to receive a waiver for successful course completion which allows them to receive a learner's permit or driver's license without taking some of the tests.

On track

Some car clubs conduct driver's education programs focused on how to handle an automobile under high-speed driving conditions rather than on learning the rules of the road. These programs take place at road racing courses and include both classroom instruction and driving.

Students drive with an experienced instructor until they are "signed off". At this point they can continue practicing and improving their skills without an instructor. Driver's education programs involve multiple cars together on a racetrack, but they are not considered racing because they are not timed, winners are not declared, and drivers must wait to pass until the driver being passed gives permission with a hand signal. These programs require approved racing helmets and rollover protection for convertibles. Some require long-sleeved shirts and long pants for fire safety. However, they do not require full roll cages, five or six point seat belts, fire extinguishers, fire-resistant racing suits, or other safety features seen in racing and more.

See also

• Blind spot (vehicle)
• Driver's license
• Driving Schools Association of the Americas
• Impact Teen Drivers (in the US)
• Nettleship v Weston
• Drivotrainer

References

1. "A Brief History of Driver Education in the UK".
2. "The British School of Motoring in the Edwardian era".
3. John Peatman (Spring 2011). "Driver's Education: Putting It In Gear". PSU. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
4. "Online Practice are the most Flexible way to Study". igottadrive.com. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
5. "Driver Education Online - Prepare for Drivers Ed". Drivereducationonline.us. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
6. Vine, Scott Le; Latinopoulos, Charilaos; Polak, John (2014-05-28). "What is the relationship between online activity and driving-licence-holding amongst young adults?". Transportation 41 (5): 1071–1098. doi:10.1007/s11116-014-9528-3. ISSN 0049-4488.