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Summary:In line with European developments, a Dutch second phase coaching program was developed for young novice drivers to counteract their high accident risk. In this paper the design principles of the program are described. The empirical study focused on the entry characteristics of the participating young drivers (n=3117) as compared to a reference group of young drivers (n=345). Results show that the DX program attracted young drivers that in some respects showed a more risky profile than average young drivers in terms of speed violations, anger and the number of fines. In addition, four groups of participants with sharply differing driving styles could be distinguished.

The use of self-serving cognitive distortions measured by traffic-role specific versions of the Cognitive Distortions in Driving (CDD) test was explored for three Dutch road user groups: cyclists beginning to learn to drive (LDs) who were enrolled in a pro-social driving program (n=138); young novice drivers enrolled in a safety awareness program (n=1660), and; experienced professional bus drivers enrolled in a post-licensing training program (871). Associations between cognitive distortions and self-reported traffic behavior, fines and crashes were analyzed. Results show that about 20 per cent of the young novice drivers used self-serving cognitive distortions, compared to 8 per cent of the LDs and 5 per cent of the bus drivers. In addition, use of cognitive distortions was significantly correlated with speed and traffic violations. Finally, a subgroup of cyclist LDs (n=38) who had been licensed for six months used fewer cognitive distortions when tested as drivers than the licensed young novice drivers without pro-social driver training. This shows that pro-social driver training can reduce cognitive distortions and may possibly increase safety.