Researchers with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) have determined that Texas teenagers taught to drive by someone other than professional driver education instructors are more likely to be involved in serious traffic crashes. In fact, the study found that after supervisory and Graduated Driver License restrictions are removed, parent-taught drivers are nearly three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than are young drivers taught by commercial or public school driving instructors.
The study was conducted by TTI for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and involved analysis of 1.4 million driver records, a mail survey of young drivers and nine focus groups of teen drivers, their parents and driver education instructors.
“What this research means is that the very popular Parent-Taught Driver Education Program may not be the wisest public policy for Texas and is not in the best interest of traffic safety,” said Research Scientist Val Pezoldt with TTI’s Center for Transportation Safety. “This is not to say that all parents are poor driving instructors. But the evidence suggests that without some significant modifications to the program, granting parents the sole responsibility for meeting the education and training requirements of our youngest novice drivers serves neither highway safety, parents nor, especially, young drivers well.”
Since 1997, parents or guardians of Texas teenagers have been allowed to provide the state-mandated driver training that is required in order for persons under the age of 18 to be licensed.
