Young Novice Research Articles

The effect of explicit, implicit and analogy instruction on decision-making skill for novices under stress

ABSTRACT The present study is an attempt to evaluate directly the effect of explicit, implicit and analogy instruction on decision-making skills among novices under stress conditions. 60 young novices, aged 10–11, were randomly selected and assigned to three experimental groups and a control group. A field and a laboratory test were conducted to evaluate decision-making on the volleyball serve skill (decide and move). Once the four groups completed the pre-test, the three experimental groups participated in the intervention programme consisting of 12 training units (4 weeks × 3 times per week). A post-test, a retention test, and a stress test were also applied to all groups. All experimental groups improved and retained decision-making scores in both the laboratory and the field tests. Comparing the groups showed that the analogy learning group achieved a higher score than the implicit, explicit, and control groups in the post-test and retention test. Analogy and implicit learners appear to be unaffected by stress conditions, while the opposite is true of the explicit learners’ performance, which decreased in both the laboratory and the field tests. Ιt seems that if taught by analogy-based instructions, novices may perform better at both decision-making and motor skills, which indicates that they are under less cognitive demand, even under stress conditions.

Causes of Aquaphobia in Swimming Beginners Aged 6 to 12 and Related Strategies in Swimming Instruction

The ages of 6 to 12 represent an ideal period for learning to swim; however, aquaphobia often poses a significant barrier to children's swimming education. This study employs field investigations, interviews, and observational methods to examine the causes of aquaphobia among swimming beginners aged 6 to 12 and to propose effective strategies for overcoming this issue. The research indicates that aquaphobia is influenced by a combination of psychological factors (such as mental resilience, understanding of swimming, poor body coordination, and competitive anxiety) and external environmental factors (including social and sports environment changes, alterations in breathing techniques, and inappropriate teaching methods by coaches). To mitigate aquaphobia, the study suggests two primary approaches: firstly, enhancing children's awareness of swimming safety, mastering proper breathing techniques, emphasizing comfort with water, establishing confidence in learning, and creating a positive learning environment; secondly, shifting learners' focus through imaginative visualization and gradual desensitization, ensuring a safe teaching environment, and progressively applying professional teaching methodologies. This research aims to provide strategies to address aquaphobia in young swimming novices, facilitating their mastery of swimming skills and promoting their physical development and the long-term advancement of swimming instruction.

Young novice drivers’ road crash injuries and contributing factors: A crash data investigation

Objective Collisions are a significant cause of injury and fatality among young novice drivers. Using real crash data, this study further explores the multifaceted and complex nature of young novice drivers’ crash injury risk by synthesizing different driver attributes and crash scenarios in order to update and validate previous research findings and provide more feasible recommendations for preventive measures. Methods Detailed data on traffic crash of young novice drivers were extracted from the National Automobile Accident In-Depth Investigation System (NAIS) in China, and a mixed research methodology using a Random Forest and multinomial logit modeling framework was used in order to explore and study the important influences on traffic crash injuries of young novice drivers in Songjiang District, Shanghai, during the period from 2018 to 2022. Results The results of the study showed that human, vehicle, road and environmental characteristics contributed 36.83%, 22.65%, 17.07% and 23.45% respectively to the prediction of crash injury level of novice drivers. Among the various single factors, driver negligence was the most important factor affecting the crash injury level of novice drivers. Age of the vehicle, crash location, road signal condition and time of crash all had a significant effect on the crash injury level of young novice drivers (95% of the confidence level). Conclusions The study comprehensively analyzed young novice driver crash data to reveal the crash injury risk and its severity faced by young novice drivers in different contexts, and suggested targeted safety improvements. There are similarities and differences with the results of previous studies, in which there are new contributions to understanding the driving risks of young novice drivers in daytime and nighttime.

Influence of running on incidental and integral vitality and fatigue: An intensive longitudinal intervention in young Women's daily life.

Exercise intensity and perceived autonomy are important factors for the affective response toward exercise and adherence. Dual-mode theory suggests an inverted-J response curve of affect with increased exercise intensity, but little is known about how different running programs affect the affective response and subsequent incidental affect in daily life. This ambulatory assessment study examines the short- to long-term effects of two 8-week running interventions (affect-based vs. polarized-prescribed) on subjective vitality and perceived fatigue in young female novices. Participants engaged in 3 × 30 minute running sessions weekly in their natural environments and completed electronic diaries three times daily. Autoregressive multilevel models indicate small effects of training intensity on immediate affective subjective vitality (ß = -2.37; p= .03; f2= 0.02) but negligible non-significant effects on fatigue (ß = 0.26; p= 0.12; f2= 0.002). Novices experienced increased vitality throughout the day when their running was evaluated positively (ß = 0.23; p= .03; f2= 0.04), with effects lasting over two days before returning to baseline (ß = -0.26; p< .001; f2= 0.004). However, no significant long-term effects were observed over 8 weeks in vitality or fatigue. Results indicate between- and within-person variations, but limited sample power does not allow differentiating between programs. This study supports the dual-mode theory and highlights the importance of distinguishing affective response from incidental affect.

Understanding risky driving behaviors among young novice drivers in Nigeria: A latent class analysis coupled with association rule mining approach

Traffic crashes are significant public health concern in Nigeria, particularly among young drivers. The study aims to explore the underlying pattern of risky driving behaviors and the associations with demographic factors among young drivers in Nigeria. A combined approach of Latent Class Analysis (LCA) and Association Rule Mining is applied to the dataset comprising responses from 684 young drivers who complete the “Behavior of Young Novice Drivers Scale” (BYND) questionnaires. The LCA identifies four distinct classes of drivers based on the risky behavior profiles: Reckless-Speedsters, Cautious Drivers, Distracted Multitaskers, and Emotion-impacted Drivers. Association rule mining further connects these driver classes to demographic and driving history variables, uncovering intriguing insights. Reckless-Speedsters predominantly consist of young males who engage in riskier driving behaviors, including exceeding speed limits and disregarding traffic rules. Conversely, Cautious Drivers, also predominantly young males, exhibit a safer driving profile marked by rule adherence and a notably lower crash rate. Distracted Multitaskers, sharing a demographic profile with Cautious Drivers, diverge significantly due to their higher crash involvement, hinting at a propensity for distracted driving practices. Lastly, Emotion-Impacted Drivers, primarily comprising young employed males, display behaviors influenced by emotions, shorter driving distances, and prior unsupervised driving experience. Most of the behaviors are attributed to inadequate traffic control, absence of traffic signs in most of the roads, preferential treatment, and lack of strict law enforcement in the country. The findings hold substantial implications for road safety interventions in Nigeria, urging targeted approaches to address the unique challenges presented by each driver class. With acknowledging the study limitations and advocating for future research in objective measures and emotion-behavior interactions, the comprehensive approach provides a robust foundation for enhancing road safety in the Nigerian context.

Salivary lipid changes in young adult tobacco smokers and e-cigarette users: a hidden risk to oral health?

A cross-sectional, age- and gender-matched study was conducted to investigate the effects of different forms of nicotine delivery on salivary lipid profiles among young adult novice smokers compared to non-smokers. To assess the effect of smoking traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products (HTPs) on the levels of specific sphingolipids (sphingosine, sphinganine, and sphingosine-1-phosphate), various ceramides, and lipid peroxidation products [malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE)] in both unstimulated and stimulated saliva samples collected from healthy young adults who had been smoking for 1-3 years and used only 1 of the 3 nicotine delivering methods. Selection criteria included healthy young adults under 30 years old, with normal BMI and typical diet composition, and with no oral inflammatory lesions, orthodontic/dental appliances, or recent intake of medications or supplements. A total of 75 smokers and 25 non-smokers were enrolled in the study. Smokers were categorized into three groups, each comprising 25 individuals: traditional cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users, and HTPs smokers. Saliva samples were collected and analyzed for sphingolipid concentrations using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The concentrations of MDA and 4-HNE were measured using colorimetric and ELISA assays, respectively. The average smoking intensity inthe traditional cigarette group was 10 cigarettes per day. Salivary sphingolipid and ceramides concentrations were significantly lower in smokers compared to non-smokers across all nicotine delivery methods (p < 0.0001). Moreover, traditional cigarette smokers exhibited higher levels of 4-HNE and MDA in both stimulated and unstimulated saliva, compared to non-smokers (p < 0.01). In stimulated saliva, both MDA and 4-HNE in e-cigarette users, and MDA in HTPs users, showed significantly lower concentrations than their comparators in traditional cigarette smokers (p < 0.01). Different nicotine delivery methods impact salivary lipid profile during the initial period of smoking habit. Reduced sphingolipids and elevated lipid peroxidation products suggest a disturbed lipid balance in the oral cavity due to enhanced oxidative stress within the salivary glands of novice smokers.

Driver thrill seeking mediates the effect of gender on traffic offending for young drivers

Gender and sensation seeking are both key factors associated with risky driving and traffic offending by young people. However, there has been limited research exploring the way that gender and sensation seeking combined influence these behaviours. This paper investigates whether sensation seeking mediates the relationship between gender and traffic offending. Young drivers (n = 1,670) from Queensland and Victoria, Australia completed an online survey that included the Driver Thrill Seeking Scale and the Transient Offending and Fixed Offending sub-scales from the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS). The results indicate that sensation seeking fully mediates the relationship between gender and transient offending and partially mediates the relationship between fixed offending. This study highlights that sensation seeking is a key factor in explaining the relationship between gender and traffic offending which has important implications for the development of road safety interventions for teen drivers.

Effects of sleep deprivation and hazard types on the hazard perception of young novice drivers: An ERP study

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to explore the effects of sleep deprivation on young novice drivers’ cognitive neural processing of different hazard types. MethodA 2 (sleep deprivation group, control group) × 3 (no hazard, covert hazard, overt hazard) mixed experimental design was used. Twenty-eight young drivers were sleep-deprived (no sleep within the past 24 h), while 28 drivers were in the control group (maintaining a normal schedule throughout the week). Eighty pictures containing a covert hazard (20 pictures), overt hazard (20 pictures) and no hazard (40 pictures) were presented. Participants were asked to press the keyboard quickly if they detected a hazard situation. The reaction time, accuracy, and changes in the N1 (100–150 ms) and N2 (250–350 ms) components of event-related potentials (ERP) measured using electroencephalography (EEG) were obtained. ResultsCompared to the control group, the response accuracy of sleep-deprived drivers was higher in the cover-hazard situation and their N1 latency was longer in the no-hazard situation. Compared to the no-hazard and overt-hazard situations, the participants’ reaction times and N2 amplitudes were significantly greater, and the response accuracy was significantly lower in the covert-hazard situation. ConclusionHazard perception is compromised when drivers are sleep-deprived, especially when they are confronted with covert hazard situations. The findings help understand the negative effects of sleep deprivation in the early stage of young novice drivers’ hazard perception.

Offence trajectories of young Australian novice drivers

This paper aims to add to the sparse research on patterns of traffic offending in young novice drivers by examining the trajectories of young Australian novices throughout the graduated driving licensing system (GDLS). Data on licensing, crashes and traffic offences for all persons aged under 25 years first licensed from July 2007 to June 2008 in New South Wales were supplied by transport authorities, with follow-up to January 2014. Eight hierarchical categories of offence were defined by seriousness. Total numbers of offences per month were plotted for one year after initial licensure while under supervision (L), after transitions to the first (P1) and second (P2) provisional licence phases and to unrestricted licensure (U). After excluding novices not transiting to P1, 75,470 novices (51.5 % male, 77.7 % 16 years old at L) remained. Of these 63,070 had a year of follow-up after P2 (52.5 % male, 82.3 % 16 years old at L) and 28,861 had a year of follow-up after U (55.5 % males, 91.7 % 16 years old at L), Offences were uncommon under at L but spiked after P1 and again after P2. Omitting GDLS offences there was a small increase after U. Patterns were broadly similar by age at L and time in L. Novices aged at least 18 years at L had the highest offence rates in the learner phase; those aged 17 years at L had the highest rates in P1 and P2. The longer novices spent in the supervised driving phase the lower their subsequent offence rates even allowing for age at P1. Urban or regional residence had little influence on offence rates but lower aggregate socio-economic status as measured by a census-derived index was associated with appreciably higher offence rates. Speeding was the most common offence type; dangerous/negligent driving was common immediately after P1, declining thereafter. These results are in broad agreement with previous research in noting the increase in offending as GDLS restrictions eased. They highlight the need for better understanding of the function of a GDLS in improving the safety of young drivers. They may also inform future enforcement and education policies for novice drivers. For example, rehabilitative interventions should occur coupled with enforcement soon after citation. Visible display of GDLS status would assist their identification.

Требования к педагогу-наставнику в трудах К. Д. Ушинского и современных авторов: сравнительный анализ

This article describes a study devoted to the comparative analysis of modern requirements for a teacher-mentor and requirements for him in the works of an outstanding Russian teacher K.D. Ushinsky. The purpose of the study is to analyze the modern requirements for a teacher-mentor in comparison with the requirements of K.D. Ushinsky. The article reveals the stages of research: analysis of the works of K.D. Ushinsky «A guide to teaching on the «Native word», «The project of the teachers' seminary», «Preface to the first volume of «Pedagogical Anthropology», «Native word. A book for teachers», a comparative analysis of modern requirements for a teacher-mentor and the requirements for him by K.D. Ushinsky, generalization of research results and formulation of conclusions. The article reveals the stages of research: analysis of the works of K.D. Ushinsky «A guide to teaching on the «Native word», «The project of the teachers' seminary», «Preface to the first volume of "Pedagogical Anthropology», «Native word. A book for teachers», a comparative analysis of modern requirements for a teacher-mentor and the requirements for him by K.D. Ushinsky, generalization of research results and formulation of conclusions. The article analyzes the pedagogical works of K.D. Ushinsky and describes his requirements for a mentor as a teacher and educator, reveals the modern understanding of mentoring by the authors as professional support of a young (novice) teacher by a more experienced mentor colleague. K.D. Ushinsky in the «Guide to teaching on the «Native Word» imposes special requirements on the mentor – primary school teacher – awareness of mastering the native language, correct, literate speech, learning to understand oral and written speech, teaching students to express their thoughts in writing. In the «Teacher's Seminary Project», K.D. Ushinsky points out that a mentor should have not only professional knowledge, but also skills, as well as readiness to carry out his duties. According to K.D. Ushinsky, a teacher-mentor should have patience and special knowledge, as well as pedagogical tact and experience. K.D. Ushinsky places high demands on a teacher-mentor. His pedagogical ideas can be applied in the modern professional education of future teachers and in the mentoring activities of novice teachers.

Difference in perception-reaction time of plain and plateau drivers at expressway exit ramps

The low-pressure (and low-oxygen) environment in plateau regions significantly impacts the driver’s perception-reaction time (PRT) and, in turn, road safety. However, drivers faced increased workloads at interchange exit areas while the Tibet region experienced a significant improvement in high-grade highway construction. Therefore, this study aimed to quantitatively analyze the influence of the plateau environment on PRT. Using a UC/win-road simulator, 6 scenarios of expressway exit ramps were constructed. Then, a total of 50 participants (35 males, 15 females) in Nanjing (altitude of 50 m) and 50 participants (36 males, 14 females) in Lhasa (altitude of 3650 m) were recruited for the simulation experiments. The driver’s PRT was measured according to the visual fixation characteristics (using an eye-tracking device) and vehicle running data. The no-difference in PRT for various scenarios was validated using the one-way-ANOVA test. Then, the Spearman bivariate correlation and generalized linear regression model were used to analyze the influence of driver’s age, driving experience, gender, and acclimation period on PRT. In addition, the difference in PRT of different groups of plain and plateau drivers was further analyzed using the Mann-Whiteney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Although driving experience and gender affected the PRT of the plain and plateau drivers, the effect was greater in the plain areas. The low-pressure environment at high altitude had a more significant impact on young novice male drivers. These findings serve as valuable references for refining the design of expressway exit ramps and improving road safety in the plateau areas.

Examining Self-Reported Young Novice and Young Experienced Drivers’ Speeding Behavior: An Exploratory Study

Road related fatalities are a global problem. Speed management remains an elusive skill for many young drivers. The main aim of the study is to understand self-reported speeding behavior, as well as the situations in which young novice and young experienced drivers exceed the speed limit. Three hundred and thirty-four young drivers completed the online driving survey. All participants were grouped based on experience (i.e., novice vs. experienced) and type of drivers (i.e., conformer, dettered, manipulator and defier). Overall, the results showed similarities between responses about their speeding behavior for both young novice and young experienced drivers. The results illustrate that the most common situations in which young drivers exceed the posted speed limit are road design, poor signage, rush, human error, and low traffic volume areas. These results are valuable in developing training to ‘calibrate’ young drivers’ actual and perceived behavior and improve their speed compliance.

Effectiveness of Video Modeling in Improving Technical Skills in Young Novice Basketball Players: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

(1) Objective: This is a quasi-experimental study that investigated the effect of four weeks of training sessions using video modeling (VM) on individual and collective technical skills in young novice basketball players. (2) Method: 20 players were equally assigned to either a control group (CG, n = 10; 12 ± 0.7 years) or a video modeling group (VMG, n = 10; 12.5 ± 0.5 years; visualizing videos before each session) were assessed before and after the four-week training period using the Basketball Skill Test of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance for individual techniques and three vs. three small-sided games for collective aspects. (3) Results: For the passing test, VMG induced higher performance than CG (p = 0.021; d = 0.87). For offensive balls post-intervention, higher values were recorded for VMG compared to CG (p = 0.003; d = 1.81). In addition, the number of attack balls index post-intervention was higher for VMG compared to CG (p = 0.001; d = 0.28). For losing the ball, VMG induced lower values than CG after the training intervention (p < 0.001; d = -3.23). The efficiency index was higher post-training compared to pre-training for VMG (p = 0.013; d = 1.24). (4) Conclusion: The study highlighted the importance of using video modeling as an effective strategy to improve technical skills and collective performance in novice young basketball players.

Young Novice Drivers' Cognitive Distraction Detection: Comparing Support Vector Machines and Random Forest Model of Vehicle Control Behavior.

The use of mobile phones has become one of the major threats to road safety, especially in young novice drivers. To avoid crashes induced by distraction, adaptive distraction mitigation systems have been developed that can determine how to detect a driver's distraction state. A driving simulator experiment was conducted in this paper to better explore the relationship between drivers' cognitive distractions and traffic safety, and to better analyze the mechanism of distracting effects on young drivers during the driving process. A total of 36 participants were recruited and asked to complete an n-back memory task while following the lead vehicle. Drivers' vehicle control behavior was collected, and an ANOVA was conducted on both lateral driving performance and longitudinal driving performance. Indicators from three aspects, i.e., lateral indicators only, longitudinal indicators only, and combined lateral and longitudinal indicators, were inputted into both SVM and random forest models, respectively. Results demonstrated that the SVM model with parameter optimization outperformed the random forest model in all aspects, among which the genetic algorithm had the best parameter optimization effect. For both lateral and longitudinal indicators, the identification effect of lateral indicators was better than that of longitudinal indicators, probably because drivers are more inclined to control the vehicle in lateral operation when they were cognitively distracted. Overall, the comprehensive model built in this paper can effectively identify the distracted state of drivers and provide theoretical support for control strategies of driving distraction.

Is cognitive control of perception and action via attentional focus moderated by motor imagery?

Motor imagery (MI) has emerged as an individual factor that may modulate the effects of attentional focus on motor skill performance. In this study, we investigated whether global MI, as well as its components (i.e., kinesthetic MI, internal visual MI, and external visual MI) moderate the effect of attentional focus on performance in a group of ninety-two young adult novice air-pistol shooters (age: M = 21.87, SD = 2.54). After completing the movement imagery questionnaire-3 (MIQ-3), participants were asked to complete a pistol shooting experiment in three different attentional focus conditions: (1) No focus instruction condition (control condition with no verbal instruction) (2) an internal focus instruction condition, and (3) an external focus condition. Shot accuracy, performance time, and aiming trace speed (i.e., stability of hold or weapon stability) were measured as the performance variables. Results revealed that shot accuracy was significantly poorer during internal relative to control focus condition. In addition, performance time was significantly higher during external relative to both control and internal condition. However, neither global MI, nor its subscales, moderated the effects of attentional focus on performance. This study supports the importance of attentional focus for perceptual and motor performance, yet global MI and its modalities/perspectives did not moderate pistol shooting performance. This study suggests that perception and action are cognitively controlled by attentional mechanisms, but not motor imagery. Future research with complementary assessment modalities is warranted to extend the present findings.

PROFESSIONAL AND DOMESTIC: COGNITIVE INFLUENCE IN PICTURES AND ECHO PICTURES OF THE WORLD

The purpose of this research is to identify the ways and mechanisms of the influence of professional discourse on the formation and development of professional language pictures of the world, as well as the formation of echo-pictures of the world of people close to these specialists based on their language picture of the world. The object of the study is the speech of the tailor Emmanuel Solovey and his wife Rosa – the main characters of Vera Inber’s story “Solovey and Rosa”; Olga Plemyannikova and men close to her of various professions – characters in Anton Chekhov’s story “Sweetheart”; a young novice doctor from Mikhail Bulgakov’s autobiographical story “Towel with a rooster”. The result of our observations allows us to draw a number of conclusions. Professional pictures of the world develop with the improvement of the skills of their carriers and have a direct influence on the formation of language pictures of the world of specialists in a certain field of knowledge or craft, and indirect influence through professional echo pictures of the world and language pictures of the world of people who surround these specialists: family members, friends. These influences are reflected in the speech of specialists and family members, other people close to them in various language means. Most often, such influences are evidenced by group or individual comparative turns, idioms, metaphors, metonymies, synonyms, antonyms, personifications that reflect the professional knowledge and skills of the speaker, as well as his family members and close friends.

A Pilot Study on Impact of Mood State on Emergency Response Capacity for Young Novice Drivers

As young novice drivers are inclined to getting involved in traffic accidents due to their improper emergency response under sorts of gender affective state, namely, mood, widely generated in fast-paced urban life, it is of great necessary to study the impact of mood state on responsive capacity for young novice drivers. Fourteen college students were recruited to take part in complex reaction experiments for this pilot study. Each subject’s mood was collected through a simplified POMS scale, while their complex reaction time (CRT) and response error rate (RER) were acquired during the experiments. The study results showed that young novice drivers’ RER was significantly positively correlated (pc=0.323 ∗ ∗ , “pc” omitted next) with their score of total mood disturbance (TMD), and a logarithmic regression model was feasible to describe the correlations with a good fitting effect. Further, their RER was also significantly positively correlated with score of negative mood state components such as nervousness (0.290 ∗ ∗ ), anger (0.300 ∗ ∗ ), fatigue (0.278 ∗ ∗ ), depression (0.287 ∗ ∗ ), and fluster (0.261 ∗ ), and a quadratic or cubic regression model was suitable to describe the correlations. Additionally, the young novice drivers’ CRT was significantly positively correlated with score of nervousness (0.222 ∗ ∗ ), vigorousness (0.227 ∗ ), and fluster (0.273 ∗ ), and a quadratic or exponential regression model was suitable to describe the correlations. The results can provide theoretical support for developing targeted intervention to improve young novice drivers’ emergency response capacity for driving training or traffic management authorities.

Effectiveness of implementing a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) law among young Serbian drivers

Introduction: Young novice drivers have higher rates of engagement in road crashes worldwide, often owing to unfavorable attitudes toward road safety or lack of knowledge, experience, and risk consciousness. However, the implementation of graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems has proven effective in reducing the high incidence of young drivers involved in crashes. Method: The purpose of this study was to compare the change in driving outcomes (e.g., attitudes toward traffic safety, behavior patterns while driving, risk assessment in traffic, assessment of personal driving skills, and involvement in traffic crashes) of young drivers prior to and following the implementation of a GDL law. Respondents (n = 642) completed a battery of questions, including a driver attitudes questionnaire (Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale), a self-assessed driving ability questionnaire, and a risk perception questionnaire. Of the total sample size, 324 drivers passed the old system of training driver’s license candidates, and 318 drivers passed the new GDL system. Results: The results showed that drivers licensed with GDL reported safer attitudes toward traffic rule violations and speed, and higher levels of safety orientation with regard to their driving abilities. They also reported much higher levels of risk perception and lower exposure to risky situations (risky driving exposure). There were no differences between GDL drivers and non-GDL drivers in terms of self-reported crashes or transient or fixed violations. In addition, GDL was not related to the number of traffic crashes, the number of fatalities, or serious and slight injuries in crashes involving young drivers in crashes obtained from official records. Conclusions: The results suggest that GDL contributed to the improvement of drivers’ attitudes and understanding of risk but did not contribute to significant changes in the behavior of young drivers and traffic crashes. In addition, the GDL program in Serbia only ranks fair on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) scale. Strengthening the GDL program in Serbia with additional components in line with GDL programs rated as good by the IIHS scale could improve the safety of young and novice drivers in traffic.

Why are newly qualified motorists at high crash risk? Modelling driving behaviours across the first six months of driving

ObjectiveNovice driver crash risk diminishes steeply over the first few months of driving. We explore the characteristics of driving over this period to identify behaviours that might underlie this change in risk. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of 1456 UK drivers aged 17–21 within six months of gaining their licence. We examined how various forms of driving exposure, such as weekly mileage and driving at night, were related to duration of licencing. We explored the factor structure of the Early Driving Development Questionnaire (EDD-Q); a new instrument designed to measure safety relevant attitudes and behaviours in recently qualified drivers. We examined the relationship of the derived factors to licence duration. ResultsThere was little evidence that greater exposure to risky driving situations was more common in those with shorter licence durations. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses identified EDD-Q factors measuring risky style (12 items), skill deficiencies (8 items) and driving confidence (4 items). Licence duration was positively correlated with both risky style and confidence, with these relationships stronger for older novices. Licence duration was also negatively related to skill deficiencies (i.e., positively correlated with perceived driving skill development): this relationship was stronger in younger novices. ConclusionsThe negative correlation between license duration and skill deficiencies is consistent with the observation of decreasing novice crash involvement as experience is gained. The EDD-Q offers a new brief measure of aberrant driving that is specifically tailored for newly qualified drivers.

Intentions and willingness to engage in risky driving behaviour among high school adolescents: evaluating the bstreetsmart road safety programme

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of a road safety programme on adolescents’ willingness to engage in risky behaviour as probationary drivers, adjusted for covariates of interest.MethodThe bstreetsmart is a road safety...