Evaluation of Beginner Driver Education Programs: Studies in Manitoba and Oregon

This project involved a multi-site, multi-level evaluation of beginner driver education programs in the United States and Canada that aimed to: (1) generate new knowledge about the outcomes, impact, and operational effectiveness of driver education; (2) provide new information about how to improve the delivery and content of driver education to enhance its safety impact; (3) demonstrate implementation of the AAA Foundation’s Comprehensive Guidelines for evaluating driver education; and, (4) showcase potentially more effective and constructive methods to evaluate driver education. This report describes the results of the investigation in Manitoba and Oregon. The principal foci are on evaluating the extent to which driver education programs influence student outcomes (e.g., improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and safer behavior) and on the impact of these programs in terms of crash reduction in Oregon.