From fear to forecast: The role of simulators, accompanied driving, age, gender, and information-processing style in driver training and beyond

Abstract

BackgroundEven though accompanied driving and simulator training are common, clarity on their usage trends and effectiveness is lacking. This research aimed to deepen the understanding of the relationships between personal characteristics, pre-licence accompanied driving, self-reported post-licence driving behaviour, and driving performance scores during simulator lessons. MethodsWe used data from a questionnaire completed by simulator and non-simulator students (total n = 3,761). Data were analysed by dividing the sample into two groups based on variables such as gender, age at licensure, education level, fear of driving a car when starting driver education, information-processing style, participation in accompanied driving, and the number of driving simulator lessons completed. ResultsMales took fewer on-road lessons and reported lower fear, but they had poorer simulator safety scores than females. Younger learners required fewer lessons and test attempts, were less fearful, and violated traffic rules more than older respondents. Higher-educated respondents had more fear and safer driving scores in the simulator. Thinkers, who were typically more educated, showed more caution in the simulator and on the road, and were older at licensure. Compared to regular students, students participating in accompanied driving were younger at licensure. Moreover, students with a higher driving skill score in the simulator were less fearful and needed slightly fewer attempts to pass the road driving test. Discussion and conclusionThe fear towards driving, which is strongly linked to personal characteristics, provides a logical explanation for the progression of students through driver education. Furthermore, this study illustrated the possibility of considering information-processing styles, education level, and driving simulator performance in driving education. However, in order to conclusively study the safety-effectiveness of accompanied driving and simulator training, further research in the form of a randomised controlled trial is necessary.