MADISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Driver Education
Grade 10
Authored by: Jill Tyburczy
Reviewed by: Dr. Barbara Sargent
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Board of Education approval: July 2007
Members of the Board of Education:
Dr. Richard Noonan, Superintendent
Lisa Ellis, President
Patrick Rowe, Vice-President
Kevin Blair
Diane Fastiggi
Linda Gilbert
George Martin
James Novotny
Patricia Sarasohn
Madison Public Schools
359 Woodland Road, Madison, NJ 07940
www.madisonpublicschools.org
I. OVERVIEW
Driver Education 10 is a quarter long course offered at Madison High School. All tenth graders will take
part in the Driver Theory Course, which is part of the Physical Education and Health Curriculum. This
course is designed to help the novice driver attain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become
a safe, low risk, responsible driver. The course will use the IPDE (Identify, Predict, Decide, and Execute)
process as basis for instruction. The IPDE process is an organized system of seeing, thinking, and
responding to different situation that may arise once students are on the road. The course will cover
different units including the Driving Task, Controlling Your Vehicle, Driving in Different Environments,
and Being a Responsible Driver. The Driving Task includes driving responsibilities, basic car control, traffic
signs, signals, and roadway markings. Controlling Your Vehicle includes natural laws and car control,
performing basic maneuvers, negotiating intersections, and sharing the roadway. Driving in Different
Environments includes driving in urban and rural areas, expressway driving, handling emergencies, and
driving in adverse conditions. Finally, Being a Responsible Driver will cover the effects of emotions on
driving, alcohol and other drugs, buying and owning a vehicle, as well as maintaining a vehicle. The
comprehensive in-depth course will end with the administration of the knowledge portion of the New
Jersey Driver Test.
II.
RATIONALE
Driver Education programs prepare young people to drive and can play a role in helping teens to develop
driving skills. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers, accounting for 36%
of all deaths. (CDC2006) Driver Education will provide a foundation for safe behaviors through
knowledge and practicing beginning skills. Teen are more likely to underestimate hazardous and
dangerous situations. Teens are more likely to speed and allow shorter following distances than older
drivers. Teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use of any age group. In 2005 23% of drivers 15 to 20 that
died in motor vehicle crashes had a BAC of .08 or higher. (CDC2006) Driver Education should be viewed
as the beginning of the learning process to becoming a safe, knowledgeable responsible driver. A
comprehensive Driver Education program can allow students to practice positive decision –making skills.
Driver Education, along with behind the wheel experience, is necessary to reduce crash involvement.
III.
STUDENT OUTCOMES ( Linked to N.J. Core Curriculum Standards listed below)
 Students should have sufficient knowledge of the rules and regulations of traffic laws which will be
evaluated be a passing grade of 80% or higher on the New Jersey State Drivers Exam. (2.1)
 Students should understand the importance of as well as develop positive communication skills in
order to maintain a safe, effective Highway Transportation System. (2.2)
 Students should understand the importance of and develop the ability to make positive decisions as it
pertains to traffic safety. (2.2)
 Students will understand the technology and resources available in the field of Driver Education.(2.1)
 Students will understand the negative effects of peer pressure on an individual's ability to operate a
vehicle safely as well as develop the skills needed to resist negative peer pressure as it pertains to traffic
safety.(2.1)
 Students will develop an understanding of the impact of fatalities and injuries due to traffic accidents
on the individual involved their family, community and the workplace.(2.1)
 Students will develop an understanding of the negative effect that alcohol and other drugs have on an
individual’s ability to drive a vehicle.(2.3)
 Students will have the knowledge of the legal, financial, and emotional repercussions of driving under
the influence of alcohol and other drugs.(2.3)
NJ Core Curriculum Standards for Physical Education and Heath
2.1 Wellness: All students will learn and apply health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy,
active lifestyle.
2.1.12 A-2 Investigate the impact of health choices and behaviors on personal,
family, and community wellness.
2.1.12 A-4 Debate the social and ethical implications of the use of technology and
medical advances to support wellness.
Disease and Health Conditions
2.1.12 D-1 Investigate and assess local, state, national and international public
health effects.
Safety
2.1.12 E-2 Develop personal protection strategies to reduce the incidence of
injuries and evaluate their effectiveness.
2.1.12 E-3 Assess the short and long term impacts of injuries on the individual,
family members, the community and the work place.
Social/ Emotional Health
2.1.12 F-2 Analyze the impact of physical development, social norms,
expectation, self-esteem and perceived vulnerability on adolescence
social emotional growth /behavior.
2.2 Integrated Skills: All students will use health enhancing personal, interpersonal and
life skills to support healthy active lifestyle
Communication
2.2.12 A-4 Employ strategies to improve communication and listening skills and
assess their effectiveness.
2.2.12A-5 Evaluate the economic, political, social, and aesthetic impacts of health
messages found in literature, art, music, theater, and television.
Decision Making
2.2.12 B-1 Demonstrate and Evaluate the use of decision making skills.
2.2.12 B-3 Use reliable and valid health information to assess social situations and
conditions that impact health and safety.
2.2.12 B-4 Analyze the use of ethics and personal values when making decisions.
2.2.12 B-5 Critique significant health decisions and debate the choice made.
2.3 Drugs and Medicine All students will learn and apply information about alcohol,
tobacco, other drugs and medicine to make decisions that
support a healthy, active, lifestyle.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs
2.3.12B-4 Describe the impact of alcohol and other drugs on those areas of the
brain that control vision, sleep, coordination, and reaction time and
assess how the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs impairs
behavior, judgement, and memory.
2.3.12B-5 Investigate the relationship between alcohol and other drug use and the
incidence of motor vehicle crashes.
2.3.12B-6 Predict the physical, behavioral, and legal impacts of commonly abused
substances, such as marijuana, inhalants, anabolic steroids, and party
drugs.
IV.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS AND CONTENT
The Driving Task
1. What are the three parts of the highway transportation system?
2. What are the four steps in the IPDE Process?
3. How does the Smith System and Zone Control System make the IPDE Process more effective?
4. What are the steps in the GDL licensing program?
5. What are some responsibilities you have as a driver?
6. What are the 3 types of signs?
7. What are the meanings behind the different traffic signals and roadway markings?
8. What are the functions of the different instrument controls and devices found in a vehicle?
9. What are the steps you must take as you get ready to drive?
10. What is the difference between a vehicle with a manual transmission versus an automatic
transmission?
Controlling Your Vehicle
1. How does kinetic energy and gravity affect your vehicle?
2. What factors affect a vehicle's stopping distance?
3. What are vehicles’ active and passive restraint devices?
4. What is the safety belt law in NJ?
5. What are the proper techniques for steering, signaling, and changing lanes?
6. What are the proper techniques for the different types of parking?
7. What should be done at the different types of intersections?
8. What is the motorcycle law in the state of NJ?
9. What are the laws regarding pedestrians in the state of NJ?
10. What are the laws regarding special and emergency vehicles?
Driving In Different Environments and Situations
1. What are the factors that make urban driving difficult?
2. What is the 3-second rule and how is it used?
3. What factors should you consider when driving in rural traffic?
4. What are strategies for low-risk driving on expressways?
5. What steps should be taken to safely enter and exit an expressway?
6. What are the safety precautions to take in adverse weather?
7. What are the different types of emergencies a driver might encounter and what are ways to handle
each one?
8. What steps should you take if you are ever in a collision?
9. What are the different types of vehicle malfunctions an individual may encounter?
10. What is the proper technique of handling a vehicle in a skid?
Being A Responsible Driver
1. How can emotions affect your ability to drive a vehicle?
2. How do your senses help you drive?
3. What are temporary and permanent disabilities that affect an individual's ability to drive?
4. How does alcohol and other drugs affect your ability to drive?
5. What are the laws that govern use of alcohol and other drugs while driving?
6. How does peer pressure affect a person’s ability to make safe driving decisions?
7. What are the financial responsibilities of owning a vehicle?
8. What are an individual's responsibilities in insuring a vehicle?
9. What are the ways that individuals can reduce the effects of vehicles on the environment?
10. What are important tips for maintaining a vehicle?
V. STRATEGIES
Development of concepts will take place through video presentations, demonstrations, and software and
Internet driven activities. Cooperative group activities and role playing, which will allow for problem
solving as well as responsible decision making opportunities, will be utilized. Teacher guided discussions
and guest speakers will enforce important key concepts and strategies introduced throughout the course.
Students will be asked to read and jigsaw chapters in the textbook and in the driver’s manual and be able
to discuss the concepts with their peers.
VI. EVALUATION
Assessment may include
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Notebooks
Student Journal
Quizzes
Tests
Summary and written response to articles
New Jersey State Driver Exam
VII. REQUIRED RESOURCES
Textbooks for course:
Johnson,Crab,Opfer,Theil, Drive Right 10th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2007
Supplemental Text:
New Jersey Driver Manual, NJ Motor Vehicle Commission. Current Edition
VIII. SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
The Driving Task (2 weeks)
1. Highway Transportation System
2. IPDE Process
3. The Smith System
4. Zone Control System
5. Driver Responsibilities
6. GDL Process
7. Signs, Signals, Roadway Markings
8. Instruments, Controls, Devices
9. Getting Ready to Drive
10. Manual Automatic Transmission
Controlling Your Vehicle (2 Weeks)
1. Natural Laws and Car Control
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Stopping Distances
Passive Restraint(Safety Belts)
Performing Basic Vehicle Maneuvers
Intersections
Sharing the Roadway
Driving in Different Environments and Situations (2 weeks)
7. Urban Traffic
8. Rural Traffic
9. Expressway Driving
10. Driving in Adverse Conditions
11. Handling Emergencies
Being A Responsible Driver (2 weeks)
1. Emotions and Driving
2. Disabilities and Driving
3. Alcohol, Other Drugs and Driving
4. Coping with Peer Pressure
5. Buying and Owning a vehicle
6. Maintaining a Vehicle
7. Environmental Concerns
New Jersey Driver Manual (1 week)
1. Review
2. State Exam