Research Update

The Human Centered Systems

Research Program addresses human

performance-related issues that affect

highway system design. Current

human centered research focuses on

Highway Safety and Intelligent

Transportation Systems (ITS).

Human centered research products

include driver performance models,

highway system design guidelines,

and handbooks based upon empirical

human performance data collected in

the laboratory and in controlled,

on-the-road tests.

Research, Development, and Technology

Turner-Fairbank Highway

 Research Center

6300 Georgetown Pike

McLean, Virginia 22101-2296

YOUNG DRIVERS AND HIGHWAY DESIGN

AND OPERATIONS: FINDINGS AND

RECOMMENDED RESEARCH

HUMAN CENTERED

SYSTEMS

Young drivers ages 16 to 24 constitute a high-risk driver group. According to data from

the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), young drivers have a

higher risk of being involved in a collision. Drivers under the age of 21 are approximately 2.5 times more likely to be killed in a crash than drivers ages 25 to 69. Sixteenyear-old drivers have a particularly high fatality rate in terms of crashes per million miles

driven. It is noteworthy that 16-year-olds drive comparatively few miles, so their crash

fatality rate is an order-of-magnitude greater than the crash rate for 40-year-olds. The

transportation safety community has investigated the young driver safety problem in

graduated licensing programs, driver education, and traffic enforcement. However, less

information is available about the relationship between young driver capabilities and

characteristics and elements of highway design and operations.

Understanding the influence of design and operations on the driving performance of

young drivers would support the development of safety countermeasures. Toward that

goal, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) conducted a project that investigated

the safety problems of young drivers in relation to highway design and operations that

was entitled, “Preliminary Investigations of Highway Design Countermeasures to Aid

Drivers With Limited Experience” (Contract No. DTFH61-98-C-00063). The objective

of the project was to obtain preliminary information that supports the development of

traffic engineering countermeasures aimed at improving the safety of young drivers. This

TechBrief highlights the findings of the project and provides recommendations for future

research.

Young Driver Characteristics and Capabilities

Young drivers have characteristics and capabilities that differ from those of mature

drivers in several areas, including adolescent cognition and motivation, attitudes and

beliefs, perception and control of risk, and visual search and attention. A literature review

conducted during the project identified several characteristics of young drivers that are

related to traffic engineering countermeasures. The findings of the literature review

suggest differences in the following aspects:

◗ Visual Search Young drivers tend to have more vehicle-centered looking than

up-road looking.

◗ Automaticity Young drivers have not acquired the automaticity of certain driving

tasks that is gained with experience and that allows fluid switching between driving

tasks under stressful conditions.

◗ Hazard Detection Young drivers, in general, detect traffic hazards less reliably

and more slowly than experienced drivers.

◗ Perception of Risk Young drivers tend to perceive less risk associated with traffic

hazards.

◗ Attention Allocation Young drivers are more easily distracted by non-drivingrelated events, such as conversations that occur between passengers in the car and

controlling the vehicle audio system.

◗ Self-Assessment Young drivers tend to overestimate their ability to control a

vehicle under emergency conditions.
Figure 1. Recommended Research Projects.

Issued August 2001 Publication No. FHWA-RD-01-120

◗ Comprehension of Traffic Control

Devices Young drivers may not

understand the meaning of traffic

control devices as much as experienced drivers, and seem to use the

devices less than is ideal.

◗ Vehicle Control Young drivers are

less skilled at making emergency

maneuvers and are vulnerable to

overcorrection errors that lead to

loss of control.

◗ Anticipation Young drivers, in

general, show less ability to

anticipate emerging traffic hazards.

Recommended Research

Figure 1 illustrates a set of six recommended research projects aimed at

developing a solid base of knowledge

about traffic engineering applications for

young driver problems. The projects will

clarify circumstances where young

driver problems exist and will support

efforts to develop countermeasures. The

boxes on the left of the diagram show

two broad problem identification

projects. One of these projects consists

of crash data analyses of detailed

roadway information files and newly

collected travel exposure data. The other

focuses broadly on the difficulties young

drivers have in searching the roadway

and attending to relevant items and

perceiving them correctly. The frequency

and severity of driver search and

attention problems would then be linked

to elements of roadway design and

operations. The goal of these two

projects is to identify the circumstances

where young driver problems exist.

The next two projects (in the center of

the illustration) are aimed at key issues in

driving situations. One project concerns

the determinants of speed selection by

young drivers, while the other investigates

the use and effectiveness of warning and

regulatory traffic control devices. These

projects will assess the problems young

drivers have in these areas and develop

and field-evaluate guidelines and countermeasures to overcome the problems.

The final two projects focus on specific

roadway design features known to be

problematic for young drivers. The first

project concerns the negotiation of

horizontal curves, and the second

investigates signalized intersections.

These projects will analyze young driver

problems in detail to develop improved

design and operational guidelines and

countermeasures. Given adequate time

and funding, the six projects would be

conducted in the sequence shown in the

flowchart (left to right), with each project

benefiting from the preceding projects.

However, there is not a requirement to

adhere to the sequence of projects, as any

combination would be of value.

A detailed research problem statement

for each of these recommended projects

exists in the final report, including problem

description, objective, scope, anticipated

tasks and methodologies, projected level of

effort, and potential benefits.

Researcher—This study was performed by Westat, 1650 Research Boulevard, Rockville, Maryland 20850. The principle

investigator was Neil D. Lerner, Ph.D. Contract No. DTFH61-98-C-00063.

Distribution—This TechBrief is being distributed according to a standard distribution. Direct distribution is being made to the

Resource Centers and Divisions.

Availability—The publication will be available in August 2001. Copies will be available from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161. A limited number of copies will be available from the R&T Report

Center, HRD-11, FHWA, 9701 Philadelphia Court, Unit Q, Lanham, MD 20706, telephone: (301) 577-0818, fax: (301) 577-1421.

Key Words—Young drivers, safety, crash data.

Notice—This TechBrief is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The TechBrief provides a synopsis of the study’s final publication. The TechBrief does not establish policies or

regulations, nor does it imply FHWA endorsement of the conclusions or recommendations. The U.S. Government assumes no

liability for the contents or their use.

For More Information Contact —Dr. Thomas M. Granda, Team Leader, Human Centered Systems, (202) 493-3365, or Dr.

Kathryn Wochinger, Research Psychologist, George Mason University, (202) 493-3387.

Relationship of

Roadway Variables to

Young Driver

Problems in Search

and Attention

Improved Effectiveness of Warning and

Regulatory Traffic

Control Devices

Signalized

Intersections and

Young Drivers

Youth Travel and

Crash Experience

Young Driver Speed

Selection

Horizontal Curve

Characteristics

Related to Young

Driver Curve

Negotiation

General Problem

Definition

Cross-Cutting

Driving Problems

Specific Geometric

Features

This TechBrief summarizes an experiment, its results, data collected from analysis, or findings and recommendations.