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Assessing the Impact of Driver Programs and Crash Risk Factors for Drivers

Arizona Department of Transportation's (ADOT's) Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) and other government agencies regulate multiple driver-training programs aimed at improving safety on Arizona’s roadways. Evaluating the impact of these programs could help Arizona reduce rising rates of fatal and serious-injury crashes by focusing these programs on high-risk drivers and dangerous behavior. Existing programs, such as interlock monitoring, traffic survival school, professional driver schools, defensive driving school, and even license suspensions and revocations, are all intended to improve safety, but ADOT does not have sufficient information to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of these programs or determine whether the right pool of drivers is being directed to the most effective driver-improvement program. To help Arizona prioritize program modifications, this study will assess how well current programs serve drivers at high risk of involvement in the most common types of fatal or serious-injury crashes on the state highway system and quantify the differences in crash rates between drivers who have participated in ADOT-regulated training or education programs and drivers who have not. The study will examine crash records and driver registration data to identify important crash risk factors, such as driver and vehicle characteristics, for common types of fatal and serious-injury crashes. The findings will set a baseline for crash rates among high-risk groups that will allow MVD to compare program performance long-term and may help ADOT implement targeted safety measures, spend resources more efficiently, and address equity issues in traffic safety. Findings may also inform legislators and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) about which programs have the most beneficial impact on safety to guide legislative and funding choices.