This paper presents a project whose primary aim was to assess the progress made by a fairly large group of learner drivers, while learning to drive. The progress made was assessed with respect to whom they drive with, how much they drove, and sources of pyschological and other individual differences that might influence this process. Especially relevant was how far the amount and nature of professional and private driving tuition determined the progress made when learning to drive. Each learner in the sample was interviewed before the project, then asked to complete a brief driver diary after each trip that he made as a driver. Learning was generally assessed by contrasting a learner's performance of the same or equivalent tasks on at least two occasions. The results showed the relationship between driving skill and amount of practice, and the relationship between distance driven when learning and the number of errors committed.
Abstract