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Driver/Education- September 1993

EXPERIENCE WITHOUT SUPERVISION CAN BE DANGEROUS FOR BEGINNERS

By Hanns Christian Heinrich

Dr. Hanns C. Heinrich is head of traffic safety research at Germany's Federal Highway Research Institute (BAst)

During the last two decades we've come to see that there are two main problems with young new drivers: inexperience and emotions. These constitute the difference between the old hand and the beginner.

The old hand usually acts in a self-assured, calm manner, is fast and efficient in responses, composed and circumspect in dealing with traffic situations. Beginners are typically insecure, nervous, sometimes hectic, and have difficulty foreseeing the long-term development of events. They are inefficient in their responses, tend to make excessive efforts and to be surprised by unexpected developments.

IMPORTANCE OF ROUTINES
The key word in understanding the difference is "routine." The expert driver has a greater repertoire of learned sequences of behaviour or routines that come naturally and without conscious thought. Beginners lack this repertoire of routines.They are thus forced to cope with many driving tasks based on consciously planned behaviour: for example when shifting gears, turning, or changing lanes.

It takes time to develop these routines. So if we say someone is expert, it follows that they must have several years' driving experience. One reason for this is that many of the driving situations for which the driver must develop routines are rare. I believe that novice drivers should not have to undergo this process alone and by trial and error. We must, I feel, find ways to accelerate this accumulation of experience. However, the problem for the novice driver is not just one of developing routines. There is also the danger that the novice may draw false conclusions from experiences with traffic situations. After new drivers get their licences, it is worth considering what experiences they have, what conclusions they draw, and how they adapt their future behaviour.

We can say that the following two sources of experience are involved for the beginner driver: observations of other road users, and the success or failure of the driver's own behaviour in solving traffic problems.

The behaviour of other drivers is important from two points of view: other drivers may serve as models for one's own behaviour, and the reactions of other drivers show what one has done correctly or what one can get away with.

So what, then, can beginners learn from observing other drivers? They can learn that traffic rules are observed to different degrees and that offences are variously interpreted as a function of the situation at hand. They can learn that others, when breaching regulations, are in most cases successful.

LEARNING ABOUT RISKY BEHAVIOR
Observations of this nature are of importance because of vicarious reinforcement. One learns that other motorists are, at times, prepared to take more serious risks than oneself, and that, when driving carefully, one is often harried by other drivers. This pressure from other drivers may make the cautious driver feel incompetent. There is a danger, then, that novices are made to feel that riskier behaviour is more appropriate than careful behaviour, and are encouraged to incorporate the more risky behaviours of others into their own behavioural repertoires.

As well as forming models of good driving behaviour from observing others, the novice is also experiencing what works and what doesnŐt in his or her own behaviour. In addition to good behaviours learned in this way, the novice may also be indulging in behaviour that isn't good but seems to work and is thus reinforced. Undesirable habits are then formed.

Because of these factors, novice drivers need to be guided in their early experiences, assisted in drawing the right conclusions from them, and assisted in developing appropriate inner models of traffic behaviour.

A further, and very important, aspect of driving is how we deal with emotions. Driver instruction seems, for many people, to be reduced simply to matters of handling the car. The affective components which motivate and influence behaviour (for example, the fun connected with driving and the feeling of superiority when behind the wheel) are not sufficiently considered.

SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
One part of the practical driving program should be undertaken on driving simulators. If the simulator is well designed it should be possible to reduce the time taken to gain appropriate experience by confronting the novice driver with important but rare traffic situations without any danger.

There could be a post-licensing period of driver education in which the learning process, through experiencing, would be guided. Theory about one's emotions would be a main topic of this period.

Special lessons should be provided during which the learner would be well trained in specific situations of effective significance.

THE RATIONALE FOR SIMULATORS
There are several reasons why I suggest using simulators: the reduction of costs, reduction of pollution, greater safety, and the enhancement of experience. Let me explain the last example. In normal driving, critical situations happen too seldom. It would be irresponsible to produce them on purpose just for instruction. But itŐs important for the learner to develop a sense of when things are going out of control in order to learn how to initiate countermeasures.

The kinds of situations I have in mind would have two characteristics: they would be critical, and they would be rare. Because of their rarity, the novice would take a long time to gain experience of them.

There are, however, many questions that need to be answered about the use of simulators. For example: will confronting the driver over and over with critical situations reduce the time taken to learn how to deal with them? What situations should be used in simulation? Theoretical considerations imply that we can answer "yes" to these questions, but further research is needed.

In talking about situations in this context, we do not only mean the interactions of the driver with physical surroundings but also with the social surroundings. The requirements for successful simulation are very high, since simulation must not be limited to streets, houses, pedestrians, and other elements that do not act autonomously. The objects of simulation must have lives of their own and act with a form of self-controlled intelligence that takes into account not only the rules and regulations of traffic interaction, but must respond also to the actions of the driver operating the simulation device.

With regard to post-licensing education, existing knowledge indicates that the present period of driver training is too short and that the important part of the learning phase in not being supervised. It is possible that a considerable gain in safety can be expected from an extension of training and supervision. This does not mean, however, that within the existing framework of driver training, more driving lessons and extended tuition must become compulsory. It is likely that a training system would be more effective if it allowed for a systematic processing of experiences and the intensification of driving skills during a second phase. These experiences can not be acquired within the framework of the single-phase program.

The first phase should be concluded by a test, the passing of which entitles the trainee to independently operate a motor vehicle. After a certain period, yet to be decided, a second phase would follow, completion of which would entitle the driver to a full lifetime licence. The second phase would not be instructional in nature but would, in a group discussion format, offer the opportunity for exchanges of experience and for the integration of major concepts about emotions and attitudes.

The practical instruction in specific driving skills suggested above would take place under the guidance of a professional driving instructor. The selection of skills and the specifics taught should be the subject of careful discussion.

FEASIBILITY
Can such a system be introduced in a feasible way that is financially acceptable? When should phase two start? What topics should be covered in each phase? Who should be in charge? What should be the consequences of successful or unsuccessful conclusions to each phase? These are all questions that need to be addressed.

Lastly, some suggestions about how to deal with the question of emotions. Two German researchers have identified seven educational units they feel can be employed in the development of emotional control. The units are based on the kinds of traffic situations that typically trigger emotional responses from drivers. They include such situations as: driving behind a bicycle on a narrow road where itŐs difficult to overtake; having to observe the speed limit while being tailgated; driving with a group where thereŐs a need for self-assertion; dealing with a competitive traffic situation. This work offers some possibilites for the development of training methods aimed at emotions. The situations may not be transferable to other countries and cultures, but they are a basis for consideration.

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