ERIC Number: ED159472
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1978-Jul
Pages: 139
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Driver Aid and Education Test Project. Final Report.
Shadis, W.; Soucek, S. J.
A driver education project tested the hypothesis that measurable improvements in fleet fuel economy can be achieved by driver awareness training in fuel-efficient driving techniques and by a manifold vacuum gauge, used individually or in combination with each other. From April 1976 through December 1977 data were collected in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area from 435 light-duty fleet vehicles driven in typical highway and urban environments. More than six million test vehicle-miles were accumulated in the course of the project. The test results support the hypothesis. However, the magnitude of the improvements (four to six percent) is less than had been achieved in earlier tests conducted by others (ten to twenty percent). This difference may be attributable to the fact that motivational and performance feedback techniques were deliberately omitted from the test environment. Additionally, smaller improvements in fuel economy also appeared in the untreated control groups, suggesting that driver knowledge of the test and informal information exchange among drivers about fuel-efficient driving techniques may have influenced the results. (Information on the test site and test vehicle characteristics and description of the driver training methods and materials are appended.) (Author/CSS)
Descriptors: Adult Education, Comparative Analysis, Conservation Education, Consumer Economics, Driver Education, Educational Assessment, Educational Environment, Efficiency, Energy Conservation, Environmental Influences, Feedback, Fuel Consumption, Fuels, Motivation, Motor Vehicles, Perception, Performance, Tests, Training Methods
National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161 ($7.25, printed copy; $3.00, microfiche)
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Department of Energy, Las Vegas, NV. Nevada Operations Office.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A