Teen Drivers: Approach for Teaching Speed Management and Peer Passenger Interactions

Abstract

Novice teen drivers can benefit from targeted training in a safe environment to help reduce their high crash risk. Experience accumulation, as opposed to deliberate risk-taking, can at least partially explain the steady decline in the rate of crashes in the first months of licensed driving. Traditional training approaches, however, have limitations for teaching skills that are typically learned through experience. We propose that a web-based training approach can facilitate experiential learning by using realistic scenarios and engaging visual effects. Two examples of this type of training approach are presented along with results from usability testing. We argue that web-based, scenario-based training can become part of practice in classrooms and during parent-supervised learning to supplement the accumulation of driving experience during pre-driving as a means of reducing risk during the early driving years.