Newly Licensed Teenaged Drivers: A Field Study Evaluation of Eye Glance Patterns on Straight Road Segments

Abstract

There is extensive evidence indicating that teenaged drivers are over-represented in automobile crashes. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-20 year olds, accounting for over 40% of all fatalities for this age group. Although teen drivers account for only 6.3% of the driving population, they account for 14% of all traffic fatalities (TSF, 2004). Currently there is a lack of continuous and naturalistic data in the field of teenaged driving. The purpose of this study was to obtain continuous performance data from a naturalistic setting by equipping the personal vehicles of newly licensed teenaged drivers with a data collection system for the first six months of driving. Specifically, this study examined the eye scanning patterns of newly licensed teenaged drivers and experienced parent drivers on straight road segment. This study provides insight into the development and change of eye-glance behaviors over the first six months of driving, the differences between novice teenaged drivers and experienced parent drivers, and how passenger presence affects eye scanning patterns. Results from this study found significant differences between novice teenaged drivers and experienced adult drivers. The results showed that teenaged drivers had much shorter glance durations away from the forward roadway and allocated a higher percentage of their glances to locations that were considered driving-related when compared to the experienced adult group. Results from the study also showed when one passenger was present in the vehicle teenaged drivers tended to have a higher percentage of time spent with their eyes off of the forward roadway.