The influence of passengers on driving in young drivers with varying levels of experience Toxopeus, R., Ramkhalawansingh, R., & Trick, L.

University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada Contact: rtoxopeu@uoguelph.ca

Stimuli Three unique but comparable 12-minute long scenarios. Each drive contained 9 hazards (pedestrians, cyclists, animals, or cars that emerged from the periphery) and a way-finding task that required participants to remember two sets of directions to get to their destination: a landmark building (e.g., hotel) and town name (e.g., Kimball).

Procedures The three conditions were: • Talking – Peer aged female research intern passenger asked the driver a series of neutral, scripted questions (e.g., What is your favourite movie?) • Silent – Peer aged female research intern passenger remained silent • Absent – No passenger present

Results Although novice drivers always had longer HRT’s than more experienced young drivers, this only translated into a notable increase in collisions in the Talking condition.

Introduction • Young drivers are at disproportionately higher risk of crashing1. • Their risk of collision is especially high when they are with young passengers. • In-vehicle conversations may interfere with driving ability3.

Research Questions 1. Does a neutral conversation with a peer-aged stranger affect driving?

2. Does the mere presence of a passenger affect driving ability?

Methods Participants 44 young drivers (20 females, 24 males) completed the study. Of these there were 22 Novice drivers (drivers with an Ontario G1 learner’s permit) and 22 were Experienced (drivers with a full Ontario G full license).

Apparatus Drive Safety DS-600c driving simulator. • 300 degree viewing screens

Discussion Research Question 1: Yes. Safety was compromised for young novice drivers when their passenger engaged them in a series of neutral questions as compared to the Experienced drivers, as indicated by a marked increase in collisions. Research Question 2: No. There appears to be no effect of silent passengers on driving ability for either novices or more experienced young drivers.

Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Auto21, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Ontario Innovation Trust, and the National Science and Engineering Research Council for funding this research. Additionally, we would like to thank our team of research interns who acted as peer aged passengers: Annette Erasmus, Leah Gordon, Alicia McNeely, Kate Johnston, Brittany Draycott, Athena Papageorge, Kimberly Steele, Danielle Belliveau, and Melissa Di Bello.

References 1. Transport Canada. (2011). Road safety Canada: Rethink road safety. Ottawa, Ontario. 2. Lam, L. T. (2003). Factors associated with young drivers’ car crash injury: Comparisons among learner, provisional, and full licensees. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 35(6), 913-920. 3. Caird, J.K.,Willness, C.R., Steel, P., & Scialfa, C. (2008). A meta-analysis of the effects of cell phones on driver performance. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 40, 1282-1293.

Measures • Hazard Response Time(HRT) • Collisions • Standard Deviation of

Lateral Position (SDLP) • Driving speed • Way-finding performance

1.15

1.2

1.25

1.3

1.35

1.4

1.45

Talking Silent Absent

Re

acti

on

Tim

e (

S)

Condition

Hazard Response time

Novice

Experienced

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

Talking Silent Absent

Ave

rage

Nu

mb

er

of

Co

llisi

on

s

Condition

Number of Collisions

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Talking Silent Absent

Dis

cre

pan

y fr

om

Sp

ee

d L

imit

(kp

h)

Condition

Discrepancy from the speed limit

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

Talking Silent Absent

SDLP

(m

)

Condition

Steering performance as measured by steering variability (SDLP)

Novice

Experienced

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

Talking Silent Absent

Ave

rage

Nu

mb

er

of

Mis

sed

Tu

rns

Condition

Way-finding performance

Novice

Experienced

Novices had more steering variability than Experienced drivers, but Novices drove at speeds closer to the speed limit. Experienced drivers sped the most while engaged in conversation. For way-finding performance, all drivers missed the most turns in the Talking condition.