Independent Driver Independent Learner Ian Edwards Road Safety Authority Academic Lecture on Supporting Learner Drivers
Why do young drivers crash? Consider this: A newly qualified driver is involved in a collision whilst out with 3 friends. The time of the incident is 11.15pm and it occurred on the approach to a junction. The driver collided into the rear of the car in front.
The relationship Goals for and life and context Driving Vehicle Social skills in of for Environment control driving traffic living
What would a driver learn here? Copyright edriving Solutions Ltd
Goals for Driver Education Level Knowledge and Skills Keskinen Risk et al increasing 2010 Factors Self evaluation Social Environmental Culture, enforcement, subcultures, group values Little or no understanding of how cultural / subcultural issues impact on driving How culture/ impacts on driving decisions / judgements Goals for life and skills for living Lifestyle, age, group, culture, social position etc. vs driving behaviour Sensation seeking, group norms, peer pressure Introspective competence, own preconditions, impulse control Level III Goals and context of driving Modal choice, choice of time, role of motives, route planning Alcohol, fatigue, low friction, rush hours, young passengers Own motives influencing choices, self critical thinking Level II Driving in traffic Traffic rules, cooperation, hazard perception, Automation Disobeying rules, tailgating, low friction, vulnerable road users Calibration of driving skills, own driving style Level I Vehicle control Car functioning, protection systems, vehicle control, physical laws No seatbelts, breakdown of vehicle system, wornout tyres Calibration of car control skills GDE Keskinen et al (2010)
Background The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD p.14) report, Young Drivers: The Road to Safety (2006) identified inexperience as being the: universal problem If this is correct then there is a very strong case to investigate how a driver can be trained with a view to accelerating the experiential learning process.
HERMES 3 year EU project Built upon previous Gadget and MERIT projects Looked at high impact communication skills for driving instructors Project included academics, practitioners and experts in coaching Content and reports are free to download from the CIECA site
The HERMES definition Coaching is a learner centred approach that engages body, mind, and emotions to develop inner and outer awareness and responsibility through an equal relationship between the learner and coach Copyright edriving Solutions Ltd
Coaching terms Barriers to learning Nonjudgemental Selfevaluation skills Coaching Awareness Partnership Responsibility
A model of self-evaluation Edwards 2010 Self monitoring The ability to impartially monitor personal performance Self awareness The ability to identify learning triggers (strengths and weaknesses) Self analysis The ability to develop options for development Self development The ability to implement a plan based on analysis of the options
Get in Gear Course 6 hour course consisting of: 2 hour workshop 4 hour in car driving Looked to develop self evaluation skills in both the class based and in car elements Instructors trained to develop these skills based on the use of coaching techniques (Training delivered by edriving Solutions) A number of coaching techniques used, including Scaling and Self monitoring exercises
Method Video based measure used to assess selfevaluation skills related to Level 2 of the GDE matrix Integrating with traffic Benchmarking of 20 clips Clips shown to driving instructors (N = 99) and novice drivers (N= 32) Of the 20 clips shown the ADI group rated 7 significantly (p<.05) different to the novice driver group In all clips the ADI group gave a lower rating than the novice driver group
Measure
Measure
Results Speed Time N = Mean Std Deviation 1 29 19.17 3.36 2 29 18.07 3.32 3 29 18.10 3.60 ANOVA Results: Time1 Time2 F(1,27)=6.822, p=0.02 Time2 Time3 F(1,27)=0.131, p=0.720 Time1 Time3 F(1,27)=4.155, p=0.05
Limitations The results are limited: - No control group - Small sample However, what this piece of research may indicate is that self evaluation, at least related to Driving in Traffic, can be measured and therefore can be reliably developed by a trainer This is an important area of research if inexperience is indeed the universal problem
Conclusions The aim of driver education should not be simply to give skills in relation to driving It needs to help drivers to become not only an independent driver but also an independent learner through the development of their own self evaluation skills Coaching skills are useful in this, as coaching encourages self evaluation skills