Simulator Training of Novice Drivers: A Longitudinal Study

This article reports on a study undertaken to determine whether driving simulator training and simulator fidelity can influence novice driver crash rates. The participants (n = 554) were teenaged novice drivers who were trained at five different locations with three simulator configurations. The simulators had varying levels of fidelity: 1) a single-monitor desktop, 2) a three-monitor desktop, and 3) an instrumented vehicle cab. The simulations gave repeated exposure to critical situations involving traffic, pedestrians and traffic control devices. Training with the first simulator configuration was conducted at high school sites and driver education students were required to take the training; participants training with the second and third simulator configurations were volunteers recruited at California DMV offices and the training occurred in research laboratories. The authors found that participants trained on higher fidelity simulator configurations had significantly lower crash rates than conventionally-trained novice drivers as reported in the literature. The authors discuss the impact of the research setting on their results, noting that being able to transfer learned driving simulator skills onto behind-the-wheel experiences in a timely manner may have influenced the effectiveness of the higher fidelity simulators.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/18245463
• Authors:
  • Allen, R W
  • Park, G D
  • Cook, M L
  • Fiorentino, D
• Publication Date: 2012-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 51-68
• Serial:
  • Advances in Transportation Studies
  • Volume: 27
  • Publisher: University Roma Tre
  • ISSN: 1824-5463
  • Serial URL: http://www.atsinternationaljournal.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age groups; Crash rates; Driver education; Driving simulators; Driving tests; Equipment; Highway safety; Recently qualified drivers; Teenage drivers
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I81: Accident Statistics; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01380334
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 21 2012 8:50AM