Driver Training Program
RELATED TOPICS: Passing Laws and Enforcement, Yielding Laws and Enforcement, Community Engagement, Safety Communications
Driver behavior has a big impact on pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Driver training programs serve as an educational component of a multi-faceted strategy to address the rules of the road. Driver behaviors influence speed, passing distance, and yielding which can all have impacts on vulnerable road users, and either lead to or prevent crashes. Understanding traffic signals and infrastructure, as well as state and local ordinances and regulations also contribute to safe driving behaviors. A critical component to any driver training program is centered on the theme of defensive driving and a moral obligation to protect pedestrians and bicyclists outside of the vehicle who are susceptible to critical injuries or even fatalities in crashes.
Resources
A Nationwide Review of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Education in Driver Education
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Examines U.S. driver education and training courses to assess their focus on pedestrian, bicyclist, and micromobility road users.
Countermeasures That Work, 11th edition
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Provides an overview of behavioral strategies and countermeasures in road safety topic areas and provides resources for a deeper look.
"Understanding Crashes and Safe Behaviors to Help Prevent Them" Video Series
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Portrays situations that lead to a crash between a driver and a pedestrian or bicyclist. The videos show the crash from each road user visual perspective, and offers behavioral tips for avoiding the crash.
Novice Teen Driver Education and Training Administrative Standards (NTDETAS)
U.S. Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Provides a framework to teach skills to novice teen drivers to perform as safe and competent drivers and integrates considerations for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Older Drivers in the Workplace: How Employers and Workers Can Prevent Crashes Fact Sheet
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Gives employers and workers information on age-related physical and mental changes that may affect older workers' driving.
More Resources >
Examples
Dutch Reach Project
Dutch Reach Project
Offers news, research, videos, and other information related to the far hand reach/Dutch Reach to avoid dooring bicyclists and pedestrians when opening vehicle doors.
Bicycle Friendly Driver Training
League of American Bicyclists
Packages bicycling safety education from the driver perspective to develop a common understanding about sharing the road.
School Bus Driver In-Service Safety Series
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Provides nine lesson modules on driving a school bus.
Large Vehicle Urban Driving Safety Video
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
Trains drivers of large vehicles in San Francisco, California, where large vehicle crashes account for 17% of all traffic fatalities.
