Citation

Muttart JW, Dinakar S, Fisher DL, Garrison TM, Samuel S. Transp. Res. Rec. 2019; 2673(12): 474-484.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0361198119860484

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Crash statistics reveal that newly licensed teenage drivers experience a higher risk of crashing than more experienced drivers, particularly when turning left across the path of approaching traffic. Research has also demonstrated that novice drivers exhibit poor hazard mitigation skills. The current study assesses the effectiveness of a training program aimed at improving novice drivers' hazard mitigation and speed selection behaviors as both the through driver and turning driver in left turn across path scenarios. In this study, novice drivers were randomly assigned to one of two training cohorts: anticipation-control-terminate (ACT) or placebo. Phase 1 of ACT is a video game where drivers must select where to look, where they would steer, and when they would slow when observing the approach to known fatal crash risk scenarios. Placebo training involved reaction time tests and street sign definitions. In phase 2 the ACT-trained participants were shown where their choices were similar to, or different than, those of drivers aged 26 through 61who had not had crashed in the previous 10 years. In phase 3, ACT-trained drivers were compared with placebo-trained drivers at left turn scenarios both as through driver and turning driver, using a driving simulator. ACT-trained drivers were more likely to exhibit anticipatory glances and slowing behaviors, and were significantly less likely to crash than were placebo-trained drivers. The results indicate that ACT was effective as a countermeasure for training novice drivers to select better speed management strategies in the simulated scenarios utilized in this research.

Language: en