Accident prevention versus recidivism prevention courses for repeat traffic offenders.

Most U.S. jurisdictions include some form of educational program among the driver improvement actions for repeated traffic offenders. The majority of programs fall into two categories: accident prevention programs seeking primarily to foster safe driving practices, and recidivism prevention programs seeking primarily to foster lawful driving behavior. Over 16,000 multiple traffic offenders were divided between courses representing each type of program. Those taking part in the recidivism prevention course evidence significantly fewer accidents and violations during the following year than did their counterparts participating in the accident prevention course. Offenders failing to participate in either course, and therefore having their licenses suspended, showed significantly fewer accidents and violations than did participants in either course. The results suggest that instruction designed primarily to reduce recidivism is more effective in reducing both violations and accidents of repeat offenders than instruction that is solely directed toward accident prevention.