Date of Award

5-1974

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

J. Edin Clark

Second Advisor

Herbert W. Busching

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the extent that each of the 51 state driver manuals covered the basic licensing and driving information a driver should know. The manuals were evaluated against a set of guidelines related to general handbook composition, driver license information, rules of the road, driver condition and preparation tasks, elements of the driving task, driving maneuvers, emergency situations, expressway driving, conditions of the driving environment, traffic accidents and financial responsivility, and the vehicle. The guidelines were prepared from suggestions and publications provideded by person and organizations in the fields of driver licensing, driver education, and traffic safety. The analysis consisted of comparing various criteria in each manual to the set of guidelines and rating the adequacy of coverage of these criteria by a numerical point system. The topics which rated near or above adequate coverage were driver license information, information related to the vehicle, and rules of the road. All other sections were incomplete to varying degrees. The subjects with the lowest degree of coverage were driver condition and driver preparation tasts, conditions of the driving environment, and emergency situation. Recommendations were primarily directed toward correcting those areas of the driver manuals which were most deficient.

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