High School Driver Education Research Articles

Exploring the Benefits of a Simulator-Based Emergency Braking Exercise with Novice Teen Drivers

This exploratory study investigated whether using the Pedals Emergency Stop© interactive driving simulator exercise improved the understanding and performance of emergency braking among novice teen drivers. Seventy-one high school driver education students (aged 15–19) participated. All of the teens completed the Pedals Emergency Stop© interactive exercise driving simulator task and then an on-road ABS exercise in a driver’s education vehicle; there was no control group. Students’ ability to complete the simulator-based emergency braking task increased from an initial passing rate of only 18.3% to a maximum of 81.7% by the end of the simulation exercise. A positive trend was observed over successive simulator trials, with the linear effect explaining 51.1% of the variance in emergency stopping “pass” rates using the simulator task. In addition, participants who passed more trials during the Pedals Emergency Stop© simulator exercise were 12.3% more likely to fully activate the ABS during the on-road emergency stop activity using the driver’s education vehicle. Post-study surveys revealed that 95% of the participants improved their understanding of ABS as a result of the simulation-based training, and 98% felt there was a positive impact from the driving simulation exercise on their real-world emergency braking capabilities. Participants highly endorsed the Pedals Emergency Stop© exercise for ABS education and refresher training, with a rating of 4.7 out of 5. This study emphasizes the potential benefits of incorporating simulator-based exercises into driver education and training, with the long-term goal of promoting safe driving behaviors and outcomes.

Simulator Sickness Results Obtainted During a Novice Driver Training Study

Simulator sickness results have been obtained in a novice driver training experiment with approximately 500 young drivers who have yet to receive their license to drive. Different participant groups were trained on three different PC based driving simulator configurations: 1) a single-monitor desktop unit, 2) a wide field-of-view three-monitor desktop unit, and 3) a wide field-of-view projected image with an instrumented cab. Simulation sickness ratings scores were obtained using a four-point rating scale provided to participants after each training trial. Between-subject effects were broken down according to the three simulator configuration types and gender across six training trial runs. Analysis for average vehicle velocity was also reported as it may have been related to simulator sickness. While the incidence of simulator sickness was quite small, participants using the single-monitor configuration unexpectedly reported the highest incidence of symptoms. Some gender differences were also found according to training trials. Possible explanations for the results are provided along with experience with high school driver education programs.

Educational interventions successfully reduce pedestrians' overestimates of their own nighttime visibility.

Pedestrians dramatically overestimate their own visibility at night. This is likely to result in pedestrians unknowingly engaging in dangerous behavior. To determine the extent to which pedestrians' estimates of their own visibility are influenced by educational interventions, clothing reflectance, and headlamp beam setting, participants in 2 experiments estimated their own nighttime visibility by walking toward a stationary car to the point where they believed they were just recognizable as a pedestrian. In the first experiment 48 university students were tested and in the second experiment 9 high-school driver education students were tested. Overall, participants failed to appreciate the benefits of reflective clothing and of high-beam illumination. However, the participants in Experiment 1 who had heard a relevant lecture several weeks earlier gave estimates that were 10% shorter than did a control group. Participants in Experiment 2 heard a more focused and graphic-intensive lecture and gave estimates that were 56% shorter than did a control group. Potential applications of this research include increasing pedestrian safety by designing and implementing research-based public education campaigns aimed at reducing pedestrians' overestimates of their own nighttime visibility.

Driver's Education for Students with Physical Disabilities

Although driving has a great impact on employment, self-esteem, and quality of life for adolescents, students with physical disabilities are not considered for driving programs in secondary schools. Such exclusion forces students to seek alternative driving programs, which are costly and difficult to locate. No studies have examined the perceptions of students with physical disabilities regarding the process of learning to drive. This study used qualitative interviews to develop an understanding of such perceptions. Results indicated participants felt driving would add freedom, independence, and responsibility to their lives and increase their educational, employment, and recreational choices. Most participants indicated they preferred to be included in high school driver's education. Personal experiences revealed that enrollment in that class was either delayed or not presented as an option.

Effects of high school driver education on motor vehicle crashes, violations, and licensure

Objective: We sought evidence in the research literature to determine if (1) high school–aged persons who enroll in a driver education course have fewer motor vehicle–related crashes or violations, or are more likely to obtain a drivers license, than those who do not enroll in driver education courses, and (2) the availability of high school driver education courses is associated with lower community rates of motor vehicle crashes among young drivers. Methods: To be included, a study must: (1) assess the effects of driver education courses or legislation for high school–aged persons; (2) present non-self-reported data for at least one of the following outcome measures: driver licensure rates, motor vehicle–related violations, or crashes; (3) include some form of no intervention comparison group; (4) adequately control for potentially confounding variables; and (5) randomly assign participants to control or treatment groups, if a controlled trial. Results: Nine studies met our inclusion criteria. Based on these studies, there is no convincing evidence that high school driver education reduces motor vehicle crash involvement rates for young drivers, either at the individual or community level. In fact, by providing an opportunity for early licensure, there is evidence that these courses are associated with higher crash involvement rates for young drivers. Conclusions: Although few driver education curricula have been carefully evaluated, in the absence of evidence that driver education reduces crash involvement rates for young persons, schools and communities should consider other ways to reduce motor vehicle–related deaths in this population, such as graduated licensing.

Evaluation of Pc-Based Younger Driver Training Program: Use of a Driving Simulator

Younger adults are overinvolved in accidents. Model high school driver education programs were developed in the 1970s in an attempt to reduce this overinvolvement. An evaluation of these programs suggested that they were largely ineffective. Recently, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has developed the first PC-based driver education program (Zero Errors Driving or Driver ZED) using real footage of risky scenarios. The hope is that younger drivers seeing these scenarios will learn to recognize risky situations in the real world before they develop. In an attempt to evaluate the Driver ZED program, the performance of 20 younger drivers is being tested on the University of Massachusetts' driving simulator. Ten of these drivers have been trained with ZED (the trained group) and ten have not seen the program (the untrained group). All 20 drivers must navigate a total of 24 scenarios that have been programmed on the driving simulator. Measures of driving performance were developed which can be used to discriminate between risky and nonrisky drivers. A preliminary evaluation of the performance of the trained and untrained subjects indicates that the trained subjects are performing more cautiously than the untrained subjects in some, but not all, scenarios (e.g., the trained subjects brake sooner when approaching a pedestrian crossing).

HIGH SCHOOL DRIVER EDUCATION USING PEER TUTORS, DIRECT INSTRUCTION, AND PRECISION TEACHING

The authors investigated the combined effects of direct instruction and precision teaching by peer tutors in a high school driver education curriculum. Learners (N = 4) included students with intellectual and learning disabilities and students without disabilities. Peer tutoring was associated with immediate increases in correct responding and a simultaneous and rapid deceleration of errors. Three learners passed the written tests in the driver education classroom, obtained driver's licenses, and produced similar or better driving records than students who did not require assistance. This program is being continued and expanded by school personnel without assistance from the authors.

Motor Vehicle Injuries During Adolescence

This article reviews the available options for prevention of motor vehicle injuries in adolescents. The potential strategies include high school driver's education programs, driving curfew laws, delaying the age of licensure, raising the minimum age for purchase of alcohol, legislation requiring mandatory seat belt and motorcycle helmet use, and airbags.

High school driver education: Further evaluation of the Dekalb County study

The DeKalb County, Georgia, study is the largest experimental evaluation of high school driver education to date. Detailed reanalyses of data from that study reveal that students assigned to an enhanced driver education program (Safe Performance Curriculum) were more likely to obtain drivers licenses, to be in car crashes and to have traffic violations than control students not assigned to driver education. Students assigned to a minimal program of high school driver education (Pre-Driver Licensing Curriculum) were also more likely than control students to obtain licenses, but the difference was smaller than for the enhanced program and they were not significantly more likely to be in crashes or to have violations. Students in the more limited course were less likely than those in the enhanced course to complete the course in a timely manner, which suggests that exposure differences may explain differences between the two groups. The results confirm that greater availability of driver education causes students to become licensed sooner, although the DeKalb study probably underestimates the effect. Because of this greater exposure, crashes and violations are incurred at an earlier age.

Driver education and fatal crash involvement of teenaged drivers.

Fatal crash involvement of teenagers per licensed driver and per population in 27 states was related to the proportions of teenagers who received high school driver education. Among 16--17 year olds, driver education was associated with a great increase in the number of licensed drivers, without a decrease in the fatal crash involvement per 10,000 licensed drivers- About 80 per cent of the 16--17 year olds who took high school driver education obtained licenses that they would not otherwise have obtained until age 18 or thereafter. The net effect is much higher death involvement rates per 10,000 population, on average, in states with greater proportions of 16-17 year olds receiving high school driver education. The data suggest that most teenagers would obtain licenses when they are 18--19 years old, irrespective of high school driver education, and indicate that differences among the states in fatal crash involvement rates per 10,000 licensed 18--19 year old drivers were not significantly related to either high school driver education or delayed licensure.

Current and Future Research Activities in Driver Training

Research programs involving high school driver education, motorcyclist safety education, problem driver retraining, elderly driver retraining, handicapped driver training, commercial vehicle driver training, and an energy efficient driver training program are summarized. Some of the pros and cons of driver education are presented and problems with establishing valid on-the-road driver performance tests are discussed.

Effects of fear-arousing components of driver education on students' safety attitudes and simulator performance.

Despite the importance of driving safety, there is little evidence that traditional driver education courses are effective. A 2X2X2 factorial experiment examined the effects of (a) the noxiousness of an automobile accident, (b) one's probability of being in an accident, and (c) the efficacy of safe-driving practices on 144 high school driver education students. The results disclosed that increments in the noxiousness variable greatly reduced error rates on driving simulators. Additionally, if students behaved negligently, driving performance was improved by increasing either their perception of the severity of accidents or their chances of being in one. Advantages of discovering effective variables linked to general psychological theories (i.e., expectancy-value theories) were reviewed and implications for implementing these principles in driver education were discussed. /Author/

Driving behaviour as differentiated by the tasmanian ten year old intelligence test

SummaryTwo groups of young males, the one of higher and the other of lower intelligence, as measured by the Tasmanian Ten Year Old Intelligence Test, were selected from the records of four high schools.Though the lower intelligence group held the same number of driving licences, they had more total offences. These were accounted for by the repeat offences; the greater number of convictions at each court appearance and more offences of the nonmoving variety.In the first paper, reasons are given why those of lower intelligence are more likely to be convicted of these traffic offences and the preventive actions which could be taken by the police.In the second paper it is shown that a compulsory high school driver education course if renewed at intervals will reduce these “nonmoving” convictions which characterise those of lower intelligence. The results indicate this type of driver education has less effect on moving offences and accidents.

High School Driver Education

High School Driver Education