Accidents, Safety and Human Error

Objective: We assessed the driving skills of novice traditionally trained, novice earlytrained, and experienced drivers to evaluate whether supervised early training could improve young drivers’ skills. Background: The overall representation of young male drivers in car crashes is a recurrent problem in developed countries. To prevent this overrepresentation, France institutes an early driver training program from the age of 16 with the supervision of an adult. However, evidence of the positive effects of this system is still lacking. Method: Three groups of drivers (12 participants each) were confronted with five prototypical accident scenarios introduced in a simulated urban circuit. Drivers’ response time, speed, and vehicle position in the lane were analyzed. Results: No difference was detected across groups regarding obstacle detection, as revealed by the analysis of response times. But in some unexpected scenarios, position control by traditionally trained drivers was more conservative than for more experienced drivers, and early-trained drivers were far more likely to respond with efficient evasive action. Conclusion: The exposure gained by an early training program could thus increase the development of visuomotor coordination and involve better skills in challenging situations. Application: The supplementary driving experience gained with the supervision of an adult during early training could promote the skills necessary to deal with risky situations. Driving simulators could be used to confront young drivers with a broad range of hazardous scenarios not commonly encountered in natural driving.