The quantitative measurement of driver behaviour has been central to much of the systematic research underlying highway safety issues during the past forty years. It has contributed to the way in which roads, vehicles, training programs, signs and markings, and intelligent transportation systems are designed. Yet the methods used to conduct driver behaviour experiments may not connect with the circumstances under which crash events occur. This is particularly evident in problems related to young, inexperienced drivers. This paper discusses some of the systematic biases that characterise the quantitative driver behaviour research base regarding youthful drivers. Some broader implications for the general study of driver behaviour and performance are then considered.
Abstract