Investigating the calibration ability of young novice drivers relative to experienced drivers: preliminary findings from a driving simulator study

The over-representation of young novice drivers in road crash statistics is a major public health concern. It is believed that errors in calibration are a contributory factor in young novice drivers' crash involvement. Calibration in driving can be defined as the ability to match task demands to one's own driving capabilities. To date, much of the research suggesting that young drivers are miscalibrated relative to experienced drivers is indirect or relies exclusively on the outcomes of subjective measures. Direct behavioural evidence is lacking. The current paper describes the method of, and lists some preliminary findings from, a driving simulator study which aims to examine objectively whether young novice drivers are indeed miscalibrated relative to experienced drivers in particular driving scenarios. Of the two driving situations under study, car following and gap acceptance at right hand turns, preliminary analysis of a subset of the data, revealed a difference between experienced and novice drivers in the case of car following only. The outcomes of this research will serve to better inform the design of countermeasures which aim to minimise the incidence of young driver crashes due to deficiencies in calibration ability.