North Dakota Driver
Risk Prevention
Curriculum Guide
Developed by
North Dakota Driver and Traffic Safety Education
Association
Funded by
The North Dakota Department of Transportation
The Highway Transportation
System
Defining the HTS
COMPLEX INTERACTION
HIGHWAY
VEHICLE
HUMAN
►
205,000,000 Licensed Drivers
– All Ages and Levels of Performance Ability
– Various Experience Levels
►
247,000,000 + Motor Vehicles
– Various Levels of Maintenance & Performance
– Cars, Trucks, Buses, RVs, Motorcycles
Defining the HTS (continued)
4,048,518 + Miles of Roadway
Rural Roadways, Urban Streets,
Limited Access Highways with Various
Traffic Conditions & Maintenance
3,049,027,000,000 Actual
Vehicle Miles Traveled
3 Parts of the HTS
 People
People use the HTS by walking, driving, or
riding
 Vehicles
From bicycles, cars and SUV’s to tractortrailer rigs
 Roadways
From smallest dirt road to most complex
multilane expressways
All signs signals and markings
Purpose of the HTS
Safe and efficient
movement of people and
goods from one place to
another
Regulations of the HTS



The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act
requires automakers to build certain safety
features such as safety belts and shatterproof
windows into vehicles. It also requires
manufacturers to correct defects discovered after
vehicles are sold.
The National Highway Safety Act establishes
specific guidelines for state motor vehicle safety
programs.
States, cities and towns pass regulations that must
be obeyed within their limits (for example, right
turn on red okay except where expressly
prohibited).
Nature of the Driving Task
Driving is a social task
A
person maneuvering a vehicle
through traffic and varying road
conditions
 Drivers must interact well with
others also using the HTS
Nature of the Driving Task
(continued)
Good driving requires making good
choices/decisions
Involves sound judgment, based on
learning, to anticipate what could happen
 Involves accurate perception, being able
to know how to view/look at traffic scenes
 Involves knowledge and understanding of
what to do to be a safe and efficient user
of the HTS

Breakdowns in HTS
Breakdowns


Person, vehicle or
roadway failures
Cause serious social and
economic problems
American
Driving
Culture
Deaths
37,261
Injuries
205 Million
Licensed
Drivers
2,346,000
Property Damage
4,146,000
LER Crashes
5,811,000
Unreported Crashes
Close Calls
Stressful Situations
High Risk Driver Behaviors
“Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted” - Albert Einstein
NHTSA 2008
10
The Top Eleven Driving Errors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Not attending to the path of travel
Driving five or more mph too fast for
conditions
Driving too fast through a curve
Inadequate search at an intersection
and thus pulling in front of cross
traffic
Lack of attention at an intersection
and being struck by another driver
The Top Eleven Driving Errors
10.
Improper evasive action—Ex: quick
turn not executed properly
Failure to maintain visual lead
Failure to see action developing at
side of the roadway
Following too closely
Willfully taking right-of-way
11.
Distraction
6.
7.
8.
9.
Preliminary TRB Report-1999