A Coaching Program for Recently Licensed Young Drivers in the Netherlands: Which Drivers are Attracted?

In line with European developments, a Dutch second phase coaching program, referred to as the DX- (Driver Xperience) program, was developed for young novice drivers to counteract their high accident risk. More specifically, the aim of the DX-program was to enable young drivers to make responsible decisions and develop positive attitudes regarding four levels of the driving task: combining life style and driving, planning and navigation, participating in different traffic situations and handling the vehicle. In this paper, the design principles of the program are described. The empirical study focused on the entry characteristics of the participating young drivers (n = 3,117) as compared to a reference group of young drivers (n = 345). RESULTS show that the DX-program attracted young drivers that, in some respects, showed a more risky profile than average young drivers in terms of speed violations, anger and the number of fines. In addition, four groups of participants with sharply differing driving styles could be distinguished. Implications for educational design and follow-up research are discussed within the theoretical framework of self-regulated learning. Language: en