This paper suggests that we do not know enough about how people learn to drive and what they need to learn. Without this knowledge driver training programmes are being designed which are ineffective in reducing accidents. The authors outline the various functions training programmes are assumed to fulfil and present an overview of the instruction that learner drivers actually receive. The extent to which the training fulfils the assumed purposes of training are then discussed in terms of the actual training received and the psychological plausibility of the initial assumptions. In particular the issue of how drivers understand the situations in which they drive are addressed. Some features of the additional training drivers might benefit from are then outlined.
Abstract