Research Notes- Winter 95/96

Do Traffic Violator Schools Improve Driver Knowledge, Attitudes, and Driving Performance?

Michael Gebers

One of the primary goals of the traffic violator school (TVS) program is to improve knowledge and attitudes toward traffic safety among drivers cited for traffic violations. Two recent studies indicate that TVS attendance produces relatively small improvements in knowledge and no measurable improvement in driving attitudes.

All TVS courses are required to teach a 400-minute curriculum established by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), covering principles of safe driving, driver responsibility, and licensing regulations. However, the courses may differ in method of instruction, content emphasis, and other factors. Among the specific characteristics on which TVS programs differ are comedy versus non-comedy presentation modes, public versus private ownership, and use versus non-use of advertising inducements. It has been hypothesized that these differences may influence the amount of learning resulting from TVS attendance.

Both the Automobile Club of Southern California (ACSC) and the California DMV recently completed studies examining the effects of TVS. The ACSC study also evaluated the relative effectiveness of TVS versus standard court adjudication as methods of deterring subsequent traffic convictions and accidents.

Taken together, the two studies provided support for the following conclusions:

• Exposure to TVS had only a small effect in improving the knowledge level of the attendees. Although the gain in knowledge was statistically significant, the gain was small-ranging from 5% to 8% across both studies. The level of knowledge retention 6-12 months after class is even smaller.
• Driving attitudes are unchanged both at the time of TVS and 6-12 months later.
• Knowledge change and attitude change were not significantly related to method of instruction, type of provider, or use of an inducement to attract enrollees.
• There was no significant relationship between knowledge gain and subsequent accident involvement, or between attitude change and driver record entries.
• Knowledge gain was associated with fewer subsequent traffic citations; however, the magnitude of the relationship was small.

The Auto Club's study also evaluated the effectiveness of the TVS system compared to (1) standard court adjudication and (2) receiving a citation dismissal without completing a TVS program. The study reported that TVS does not lead to reductions in traffic accidents. However, the Auto Club's study found that attendance at TVS was associated with a 14.5% reduction in traffic citations compared to the court adjudiction group. The validity of this finding was questioned by the author (Dr. Steven Bloch) since the statistical adjustment for the large differences in the characteristics of the two groups was believed to be inadequate. This conclusion was further supported by the fact that the TVS completion group did not have fewer subsequent convictions than the group which received the citation dismissal without completing a TVS program.

The reports offered several recommendations for improving the effectiveness of TVS:

• There may be some value in requiring an exit test as a condition for receiving a TVS completion certificate. Such a mechanism would probably increase the attentiveness of the offenders during the course, thereby promoting increased learning. This requirement might also promote greater instructor diligence and improved curriculum design.
• Evaluate interactive computer technology for use in TVS instruction to determine its potential for increasing knowledge gains and reducing traffic crashes.
• Increase TVS student motivation to drive safely by removing the citation masking benefit of TVS for drivers receiving new citations within a given period after attending class.

Copies of the report Knowledge and Attitude Change and the Relationship to Driving Performance among Drivers Attending California Traffic Violator School(Report 147) can be obtained from the DMV Research and Development Section at 2415 First Avenue, Mail Station F-126, Sacramento, CA, 95818. The Effectiveness of Traffic Violator Schools: An Examination of Their Effects on Driver Knowledge, Attitudes and Performancecan be obtained by writing to Dr. Steven Bloch, Automobile Club of Southern California, 2601 South Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA, 90007.