A survey of driver improvement programs in the fifty states : final report.

Lynn, Cheryl; Holt, Nathan; Vermillion, Emily · 1991 · ROSA P / Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC)

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Summary

This 1991 report by the Virginia Transportation Research Council surveys driver improvement programs across all fifty U.S. states to evaluate and potentially reform Virginia’s system. The study was motivated by findings that Virginia possessed one of the nation’s most complex driver improvement systems, which had shown declining deterrent effectiveness. Previous evaluations suggested that as drivers became accustomed to treatment-oriented interventions rather than immediate suspensions, the program’s ability to reduce violations weakened. The research aimed to identify innovative practices in other states and determine statutory changes needed to increase administrative flexibility in Virginia. The methodology involved a two-stage process conducted in the fall of 1989. First, researchers collected and analyzed statutory and regulatory documents from each state. Second, they surveyed driver improvement managers via questionnaires and interviews to gather data on program components, point systems, treatment types, scheduling, and administrative discretion. The data were synthesized into state-specific reports and cross-state comparisons, focusing on five categories of innovation: point system structures, scheduling mechanisms, treatment types, licensing practices, and statutory policies. The findings revealed significant variation in state approaches. While seven states reported having no driver improvement program, all but nine utilized point systems to identify negligent drivers. Common interventions included advisory letters (used by 23 states), one-on-one interviews (16 states), and defensive driving courses (28 states). The report highlighted several innovative practices, such as including accidents in point systems (e.g., Florida, Tennessee), assigning high point values to mandatory violations like DUI to trigger immediate suspension (e.g., North Dakota), and using variable point decay or expungement mechanisms (e.g., South Carolina, Kentucky). Crucially, the analysis found that most states granted their administrative agencies greater discretion than Virginia, allowing them to set point values and treatment sequences via regulation rather than rigid statutory mandates. The significance of the report lies in its conclusion that Virginia’s statutory framework is overly restrictive, limiting the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles’ ability to adapt the program. The authors argue that Virginia should adopt greater administrative flexibility, similar to other states, to implement innovations such as tighter scheduling, more targeted treatments, and accelerated penalties for severe offenses. Drawing on California’s experience—where a shift to a more stringent system increased suspensions by 45%—the report recommends that Virginia evaluate its current deterrent effectiveness and consider legislative changes to stiffen penalties and integrate them more closely with treatment. The ultimate goal is to modernize Virginia’s program to improve driver behavior and reduce accidents through more effective, flexible administration.

Key finding

Virginia's driver improvement system is among the most complex in the nation, yet its statutes provide significantly less administrative discretion for program modifications compared to the majority of other states.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 50

Provenance

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Topics

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• driver education effectiveness
• licensing policy
• older driver retraining

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation, policy recommendations