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June 16, 2006
DRIVER LICENSING DATA FOUND DEFECTIVE
IIHS has warned against use by researchers and others of what it calls unreliable driver licensure data published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The warning came in the current issue of its Status Report. Even the federal agency acknowledges that its own data arent reliable, the research group said.
Whats wrong, it said, is that FHWA collects and publishes vehicle registration and driver licensure data provided by state officials but big year-to-year fluctuations appear in the date which aren't explained by population changes, law changes, or any other logical factor. The fluctuations are worst for the youngest drivers. We need the federal database, but we urge other researchers to beware until FHWA's reporting problems are fixed, an IIHS researcher said.
Posted by MVHAP at June 16, 2006 12:23 PM