title: Post-licence driver education for the prevention of road traffic crashes: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.
abstract: The effectiveness of post-licence driver education for preventing road traffic crashes was quantified using a systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials. Searches of appropriate electronic databases, the Internet and reference lists of relevant papers were conducted. The searches were not restricted by language or publication status. Data were pooled from 21 randomised controlled trials, including over 300,000 full licence-holding drivers of all ages. Nineteen trials reported subsequent traffic offences, with a pooled relative risk of 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.94, 0.98). Fifteen trials reported traffic crashes with a pooled relative risk of 0.98 (0.96, 1.01). Four trials reported injury crashes with a pooled relative risk of 1.12 (0.88, 1.41). The results provide no evidence that post-licence driver education is effective in preventing road injuries or crashes. Although the results are compatible with a small reduction in the occurrence of traffic crashes, this may be due to selection biases or bias in the included trials.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Public Health Intervention Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK. Katharine.Ker@lshtm.ac.uk
authors.forename: Katharine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ker
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beyer
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bunn
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frost
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012306:Risk; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*