No abstract

Collisions at left turn intersections are among the most prevalent types of teen driver serious crashes, with inadequate surveillance as a key factor. Risk awareness perception training (RAPT) has shown effectiveness in improving hazard anticipation for latent hazards. The goal of this study was to determine if RAPT version 3 (RAPT-3) improved intersection turning behaviors among novice teen drivers when the hazards were not latent and frequent glancing to multiple locations at the intersection was needed. Teens aged 16–18 with ≤180 days of licensure were randomly assigned to: 1) an intervention group (n=18) that received RAPT-3 (Trained); or 2) a control group (n=19) that received no training (Untrained). Both groups completed RAPT-3 Baseline Assessment and the Trained group completed RAPT-3 Training and RAPT-3 Post Assessment. Training effects were evaluated on a driving simulator. Simulator (gap selection errors and collisions) and eye tracker (traffic check errors) metrics from six left-turn stop sign controlled intersections in the Simulated Driving Assessment (SDA) were analyzed. The Trained group scored significantly higher in RAPT-3 Post Assessment than RAPT-3 Baseline Assessment (p< 0.0001). There were no significant differences in either traffic check and gap selection errors or collisions among Trained and Untrained teens in the SDA. Though Trained teens learned about hazard anticipation related to latent hazards, learning did not translate to performance differences in left-turn stop sign controlled intersections where the hazards were not latent. Our findings point to further research to better understand the challenges teens have with left turn intersections.

An exploratory study was designed to understand how drivers perceive and interpret aggression and stress-inducing traffic situations. The goals of the study were to identify the most stressful situations to be used in a follow-on empirical study and to examine the relative rankings of stressful situations across demographic subgroups. Using a convenience sample, our findings support the results from previous studies that gender, history of driving, and driving experience play a significant role in perceiving and interpreting the intentions of others. Drivers who had prior violations and citations perceived others' behaviors more negatively. Males had more situations related to others' deliberate aggressive behaviors in their top 15 traffic situations, compared to females. Females had more environmental factors in their top 15 when compared to males. Continuing education and emphasis on improving the driving culture may be helpful in reducing the aggression toward others, especially when the communications between road users are primarily based on non-verbal observations.

Inexperience contributes to the elevated crash risk among novice teen drivers. Hazard perception is considered a kind of experiential knowledge that is acquired slowly over time. We proposed a process for better understanding and identifying the progression for hazard perception knowledge and its relation to driving experience among novice teen drivers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit teen drivers' perception of hazards, and then combinations of hazards were used to compose two representative driving scenarios. A written survey was subsequently used to further explore teens' perspective on hazards contextualized in the two scenarios and their level of experience with each hazard. Results show that there was a progression of experience which contributes to their development of driving tacit knowledge over time. With more experience and more advancement in their licensure status, teens with an unrestricted license reasoned about the driving hazards more holistically, took into account environmental characteristics, and drove to more variety of places. These findings can be used in designing learning activities and interventions for teen drivers, and the progression of experience can be included for tailoring activities to individual experience level.

Summary: Young drivers need continued training and educational efforts beyond licensure. The latest in-vehicle monitoring technologies provide a promising way to monitor and advise driving behaviors in real-time. Literature to-date suggests limited success for changing driving behaviors via the use of in-vehicle monitoring technologies, and teens and parents have mixed perceptions about such devices. We argue that certain reinforcement techniques and parameters may lead to more sustainable behavioral changes. This paper describes the findings of an interview with young drivers on their perspectives of in-vehicle monitoring technologies and a feasibility driving simulator experiment that incorporated key reinforcement techniques. Eighteen young drivers participated in individual semi-structured interviews and 17 participated in the simulator experiment. Participants saw values in having a smartphone application-based system that can monitor their driving and provide positive recognition for safe behaviors and negative alerts for unsafe behaviors. Preliminary behavioral data from the simulator experiment showed mixed results. The findings show promise for incorporating reinforcement techniques in continued education beyond licensure but further research is needed to understand the timing for using such techniques.