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"The concept of 'ROADCRAFT' versus the concept of 'CARCRAFT' in driver training by Trev. Sobey (pdf)
"The Story of "Class-Driving" Development" by Trev. Sobey (pdf)
"Finding a bridge from Beginner to Intermediate learner driver" by Trev. Sobey (pdf)
"Class-Driving" Learn to Drive
With the current approach to driver licensing, Learners move from the lowest crash category to the highest category the day they are granted their driver’s licence.
MUCH OF WHAT IS CALLED TRAINING IS:
- Inadequate
- Poorly timed
- Poorly designed.
THE SOLUTION
DTA’s role is to provide a foundation of skill at the commencement of the Learner’s driving career before poor driving habits develop and become intractable.
DTA training is done in a peer group. It is an intensive and extensive program aimed at developing skill, knowledge and attitude concurrently.
During the tutor information session, roles and relationships for Learner and supervisor and rules for ordinary family trips are discussed.
Stress is removed by the level of basic foundation competence reached prior to parents taking over the tutor role for the minimum 120 hours of supervised experience.
DTA provides the quality skill foundation and the family supervisor/s provides the quantity of experience.
What type of training is your Learner receiving?
“Would you fly with a pilot who had few hours of instruction and is learning by trial and error?
Would you go to a dentist who is learning by trial and error?”
APPROPRIATE TRAINING:
Dr Helen Rabbette emphasised five main points:
- Programs must be structured so that students with differing personality types and learning styles are catered for.
- Learning progress must be objectively assessed throughout the process.
- Group interaction is necessary for attitude development
- The program must be intensive.
- Timing of this program is critical. It works best if it is administered at the very start of the ‘Learner-Permit’ period.
WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
It is often claimed that research indicates driver-training programs are ineffective. Unfortunately the term “training” is very vague. Training varies from several hours with a licence test oriented driving school, to a skid and slide experience at a race track, to a 10 day police program. The experiences typically referred to are often of only a few hours duration. The information about these experiences usually contains little evidence to the competencies and learning outcomes expected or to the curriculum and rationale for the delivery method.
Two of the best summaries of trends and opinions with driver training and education available are by Christie (1) and Senserrick (2).
Hazard perception has been identified as a key skill required to avoid incident and collision. Evidence is that novice drivers require a minimum of 120 hours of supervised on road and in car experience to develop this key skill of hazard perception before driving solo. Swedish evidence is that such an approach may reduce crash involvement by up to 35% - Christie (1.).
Poorly timed and poorly designed training programs may contribute to increased collision rates if novices are licensed to solo driving without adequate supervised experience, Christie (1).
Victorian research and collision information confirms that many learners are gaining sub-optimal levels and variety of experience; the quantity and quality of supervised driving prior to solo driving is the single most significant factor in risk reduction.
Discussions with parents confirmed that the learner period can be a stressful time for both learners and supervisors, and that parents base their approach to the task and their willingness to point out errors on likely reactions from the learner.
There is currently a lack of much-needed guidelines for supervisory drivers on how to gain a large number of practice hours through everyday activities and how to structure this experience. The VicRoads “Keys Please” campaign was an attempt to address this issue.
WHAT THE DTA PROGRAM DOESThe DTA program is unique: It is competency-based training delivered by a Registered Training Organisation. The program is founded on extensive research and experience over many decades. It is specifically designed for young learner drivers and their cognitive, social and physical requirements.
It is not a simple, brief educational or awareness experience. The concepts applied have been used successfully in both driver development and other applications.
DTA’s role is to provide a foundation of skill at the commencement of the learner’s driving career before poor habits develop and become intractable. It is done in a peer group, it is intensive and extensive driver development aimed at developing skill, knowledge and attitude concurrently.
Research shows that early acquisition of the core skills that will become the primarily accessed decision and action schemata is crucial - Reason (3). Dr Hirsch (4) describes three stages of learning: Beginner, Intermediate and Autonomous. DTA takes participants through the Beginner into the Intermediate stage where Habits, Beliefs and Attitudes are formed.
DTA has specific competencies within the driver development process designed to enable and develop both hazard perception and the ability to respond to the hazard. These competencies have proven effective over decades of development and experience. The program includes a ‘Tutor-Information’ session to guide tutors to continue this process.
Christie’s (1) report to the RACV is a very strong endorsement for the timing and content of the DTA approach.
DTA provides ‘best-practice’ driving development to a standard that dual controls are not required. Stress is removed by the level of basic foundation competence that is reached prior to parents taking over the tutor role for the 120 hours of supervised experience. DTA provides the quality skill foundation and the family supervisor provides the quantity of experience.
DTA establishes the roles and relationship for both the learner and supervisor. During the Tutor Information session rules for ordinary family trips are discussed. The practical driving demonstration by the learner to the Tutor is aimed at facilitating this activity. A booklet "Class Driving Made Easy" by Trev. Sobey is provided which sets out assessments for each exercise on the program. Tutors are shown this process. Tutors are provided with ongoing assistance and a ‘Hot-Seat’ program is available as a driving standards evaluation process.
References:
D. Smith. Review of ‘Five Fantastic Fun Days – Learning to be a Class Driver’. Private communication, 2005.
* These two sections are extracted from the paper by D Smith (Bsc, Applied Physics).
Dr R. Christie and W. Harrison - Driver Education and Training Programs of the Future, report 03/03. RACV - Australia. 2003. P;V:4.
Senserrick, T. and Hawarth, N. Young Driver Research: Where are we now? What do we need to know? Monash University Accident Research Centre. 2004.
Reason, J. Human Error. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. 1990.
Hirsch, P. Is Legal Driving Safe Driving? http://www.drivers.com/article/327/ 1997.