The risk of being involved in an accident in the first year after licensing is greater for novice drivers who passed their driving exam the first time than for novice drivers who failed their first driving exam. Enhanced training programmes can shorten the duration of training and can raise the passing rate on the first exam, but can also increase accident involvement after licensing. We propose automated feedback on viewing skills can contribute to safe driving after licensing. An intervention was made in a driving simulator curriculum to study the transfer on the first driver exam and retention of driving skills for safe driving in the first year after licensing. A questionnaire was sent to 22,881 former students. The results of 2,439 subjects where used in this study. The driving skills of a control group were compared to the driving skills of subjects who followed driving lessons with automated feedback on viewing behaviour. Analysis of simulator data and questionnaire data showed significant differences between the two groups. Novice car drivers who followed driving lessons on a simulator with automated feedback on viewing skills needed fewer lessons to pass the driving exam. The self-reported accident involvement of this group was 31% lower than the control group and 32% lower than the average accident involvement in the Netherlands. We suggest using automated feedback on viewing skills in driver training before and after passing driver examination to increase road safety. ... Read more

A large portion of road traffic crashes occur at intersections for the reason that drivers lack necessary visual information. This research examined the effects of an audio-visual display that provides real-time sonification and visualization of the speed and direction of another car approaching the crossroads on an intersecting road. The location of red blinking lights (left vs. right on the speedometer) and the lateral input direction of beeps (left vs. right ear in headphones) corresponded to the direction from where the other car approached, and the blink and beep rates were a function of the approaching car's speed. Two driving simulators were linked so that the participant and the experimenter drove in the same virtual world. Participants (N = 25) completed four sessions (two with the audio-visual display on, two with the audio-visual display off), each session consisting of 22 intersections at which the experimenter approached from the left or right and either maintained speed or slowed down. Compared to driving with the display off, the audio-visual display resulted in enhanced traffic efficiency (i.e., greater mean speed, less coasting) while not compromising safety (i.e., the time gap between the two vehicles was equivalent). A post-experiment questionnaire showed that the beeps were regarded as more useful than the lights. It is argued that the audio-visual display is a promising means of supporting drivers until fully automated driving is technically feasible. ... Read more