The Novice Teen Driver Education and Training Administrative Standards (NTDETAS) represent the best efforts of professionals from a wide spectrum of interests to provide guidance that will enhance both the uniformity and professionalism of driver education across the nation. The standards serve to guide all novice teen driver education and training programs in the United States striving to provide consistent, high-quality driver education and training.
These standards were created to serve as an anchor for state policies for driver education and training with the following understandings:
- The goal of driver education and training is to transfer knowledge, develop skills, and enhance the disposition of the teen, so he/she can perform as a safe and competent driver, thereby contributing to the reduction of crashes, fatalities, and injuries.
- Driver education and training should be an integral part of the GDL system.
- Driver development should be a lifelong learning process.
- Driver education and training should be a phased education process.
- Driver education and training standards should help an organization be successful in administering and/or providing quality and uniform driver education and training, consistent with the latest advances in methodology, subject matter, and technology.
- Any standard promulgated for driver education and training must be supported by a communication strategy for all stakeholders.
These administrative standards complete a set of three (3) guidance documents that will assist states in planning and implementing effective driver education systems. Together with the model curriculum developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA) in 2012 along with the National Model Curriculum Standards introduced by the two organizations in 2006, these new administrative standards provide a comprehensive framework for state driver education systems. The framework follows a professional educational approach, allowing flexibility for local conditions and efficiency for periodic technical updates while promoting consistency and quality assurance across programs and among states.
