Predicting high-risk drivers: Skills examination and scoring guidelines (GHSA)

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens 16-19 years old than any other age group. Teen drivers in this age group have a fatal crash rate almost three times as high as drivers 20 and older.

The Transportation Research Board’s Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP), in partnership with the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has published a new report, Predicting High-Risk Drivers: Skills Examination and Scoring Guidelines, which shares guidance and methods for driver skills examination and scoring that identifies high-risk drivers.

The researchers found a link between test performance and driving risk, which underscores the potential of integrating hazard perception training and testing into driver education curricula to better prepare young drivers for real-world challenges. These results provide a data-driven basis for state driver licensing agencies to consider mandating or incentivizing hazard perception training as part of the licensing process.

The study highlights five recommendations for driver education and supplemental materials, including a technical memorandum outlining guidance and methods for driver skills examination and scoring that identifies high-risk drivers, a technical memorandum on recommendations for additional research and a PowerPoint presentation.

Read “Predicting High-Risk Drivers: Skills Examination and Scoring Guidelines” to learn more.