Educating young drivers is something that is still evolving. For years the methodology has involved hours and hours of classroom-type study of the rules of the road and the basics of the physics involved in 3,000 vehicles going 55 miles per hour. That is usually followed by the experience of actually getting behind the wheel and getting on the road with an instructor. For most young drivers this is the end of it; they get their learner’s permit and, if they perform well enough, they get a full license. But should that be the end of it?
More and more programs are being developed that continue to teach young drivers once they have mastered the very basic skills and have received their licenses. We have talked in the past about some of the defensive driving courses that are available and the technology that has been used to track driving behavior by monitoring speeds and braking patterns.
The University of Iowa is taking things a bit further. The school has convinced 25 students from a local high school to allow cameras to be placed inside their cars. These cameras will monitor all kinds of driving behavior including things like cell phone use and make-up application that lead to distracted driving. The hope is to identity the impact of this behavior on driving.
Before you disparage the fact that this is going on in Iowa where the “rush hours” may only last for a real hour, keep in mind that there are unique challenges to rural driving … I know because I first learned to drive in a place where there were more cows than traffic lights.
The University of Iowa takes this education process rather seriously. It publishes a magazine for young drivers called “Go! Exploring the world of transportation” that has all sorts of information and tips for this audience. It also gives high-schoolers information on careers in transportation engineering and it’s available for free at www.go-explore-trans.org.
