jeff posted on May 20, 2009 15:36
Apparently May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month. As part of creating awareness and hoping to educate youth that drive, many high schools ran distracted driving programs. As a result, there were a series of articles written earlier this week dealing with these high school-aged students and the distracted driving topic.
Thanks to Google Alerts (driving simulation were the keywords used), here are some of them:
Despite laws against driving while texting in some states, about one in four mobile phone users still texts when driving, according to a recent survey of nearly 5,000 U.S. consumers. See the Vlingo Consumer Mobile Messaging Habits Report.
The no-texting-while-driving-training is to be admired but before schools spend money on these computer-based programs, wouldn't you think they should find out if the driving simulation system and application actually work? In other words, just because we tell and show someone that it is bad to text message and drive, will it change behavior and reduce distracted driving accidents?
Just as they have never proven traditional driver education works, there is no hard evidence that driving simulation practice also helps make drivers better -- safer. It might but there is no proof.
So the dilemma is just because it sounds good does not mean it is good. And it does not mean it merits taxpayer funding.