Hazard Perception and Distraction in Novice Drivers: Effects of 12 Months Driving Experience

The high crash risk of novice drivers has been partly attributed to their underdeveloped hazard perception abilities. Novice drivers also have an increased risk of crashes due to distractions. Studies show that novice drivers do not detect risk relevant cues and are more susceptible to distractions when compared to adult drivers. This test track study was conducted to study the effects of 12 months of driving experience on teenagers. Forty-two teenagers and their parents drove through hazard perception scenarios while engaged in secondary tasks. These participants had participated in a similar session 12 months earlier. For the odometer and texting task conditions the novice drivers showed an improvement in hazard perception and a small but insignificant decrease in task suspension after 12 months. For the scenario with the cell phone task none of the novice drivers suspended the task, nor exhibited any sort of hazard perception behavior at 12 months. The results indicate that although hazard perception generally improves with experience under some distracting task conditions this is not the case for cell phone distractions.