Study Shows Most People Believe Driver’s Ed Is Outdated And Tests Are Designed To Be Passed

How much do you remember about your driver’s education class? If the answer is “not much,” you’re not alone.

According to a Volvo funded study conducted by The Harris Poll, most Americans have pretty dim view of driver’s ed. Among the 2,000 licensed adults who responded to the survey, more than half felt driver’s education is outdated (52%) and driving tests are designed to be passed (60%).

If that wasn’t bad enough, 28% of respondents said they spent less than 20 hours behind the wheel before taking their driving test. While laws vary from state to state, Volvo says the average time required behind the wheel is 46 hours. However, 16 states have requirements that allow people to take their driving test with 40 hours or less of practice.

Given all of this, it’s not too surprising that most people don’t learn about safe driving practices from driver’s ed. Instead, 51% said their parents or guardian taught them the most about being safe behind the wheel.

The study also found that access to driver’s education has shrunken dramatically. While 95% of students had access to public driver’s education in 1970, only ten states mandate it today. 90% of the people surveyed support public classes and it’s not hard to see why as private companies can charge people hundreds of dollars for lessons.

Also Read: Wrong-Way Elderly Driver Narrowly Averts Multiple Collisions in NY

In a related study, Volvo looked at who people blame for being the most dangerous behind the wheel. 66% blamed teens, while 58% of Gen Zs – people born between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s – cited senior citizens. On the topic of driver’s education, 55% of Gen Zs said they remember half or less of what they learned in class. That’s pretty scary as they’re the group who took courses most recently .