The Effects of PC-Based Training on Novice Drivers' Risk Awareness in a Driving Simulator

Abstract

Novice drivers are almost nine times more likely to die in a crash than more experienced drivers. This increased risk has been found to be largely due to novice drivers’ inability to predict the risks in the roadway ahead. A PC-based Risk Awareness and Perception Training Program (RAPT) was developed to teach novice drivers about different categories of risky situations likely to be encountered while driving. The format was an interactive multimedia presentation with both plan (i.e., top down) views and perspective views of roadway geometry that illustrated generally risky scenarios along with information about the type of risks and the relevant areas that attention should be allocated to in order to detect the risks. A set of novice drivers was trained with this program. The eye-movements of the participants were then evaluated in a driving simulator to determine whether areas of potential risk were fixated, and their performance was compared to a separate set of untrained novice drivers. The ability of the novice drivers to identify risks in static views improved after they completed the training program. More importantly, the trained novice drivers were significantly more likely to correctly fixate on risk relevant areas in the simulated driving environment than the untrained drivers 3-5 days after training.