Calibration in driving can be defined as the ability to match task demands to one’s own driving capabilities. It has been proposed that calibration ability is critical to safe driving and that differences in calibration ability between young novice and experienced drivers contribute to young drivers’ relatively high crash involvement. Few, if any, studies, however, have been undertaken that provide direct objective evidence of any discrepancies in calibration between novice and experienced drivers. To address this issue, a technique for measuring calibration was adapted for use in a study involving the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) Advanced Driving Simulator. The current paper describes this technique and documents some of the key outcomes of the study, which, in part, aimed to compare novice and experienced drivers’ calibration ability associated with gap acceptance during right hand turns. The results show a difference in calibration ability between the two driving experience groups. Some of the key implications of this study are also discussed. (Author/publisher)
Abstract