This article presents the results of three studies using the Aston Driving Simulator (ADS). The first studies sex and age differences in driving performance when travelling along an open road "task free" from traffic. The second investigates the age and sex differences in driving performance when following a lead vehicle. The third study tests the differences in a) risk homeostasis and b) the utility attached to the driving task between men and women drivers. Sixty drivers participated in the first two experiments. In experiment one, they were presented with a view of the road with oncoming traffic only. The track along which the participants "drove" was drawn to include straight runs, curves and sharp bends. The driving performance measures were: speed; position on track; steering wheel position; braking and acceleration. In the second experiment, participants were instructed to follow the vehicle ahead and to maintain a distance of about 15 metres. The ADS logged the same variables as before every 500 ms. In the third study, 94 different subjects were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: a) told that they were driving a car fitted with an advanced braking system; b) told that they were driving a car fitted with an advanced braking system, although this was not in fact so; and c) a control group, given no information about the braking system. The same driving variables as before were used. The results indicate that men are greater risk takers than women, but there is no difference in their homeostatic behaviour. Older drivers and women find they have to concentrate more on the driving task.
Abstract