The basic rules and guidelines don’t tell you how someone may react when skidding on black ice or if a car jams on their brakes in front of them, which is why accidents occur much more often with new drivers.
Passing the state driver’s licensing test does not always mean new drivers have the critical skills they need to drive safely, but researchers said they developed a simulator-based assessment that can evaluate performance, licensure readiness and identify specific skills new drivers lack.
“We’re providing the science behind the answer to why teens – and some adults – don’t drive well,” Flaura K. Winston, principal investigator for the research, said in a statement.
The assessment offers the opportunity for the first time to safely assess novice teen drivers’ skills in high-risk driving scenarios that commonly lead to crashes, The Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania said when they announced the news last month.
“Now we are able to ‘diagnose driving’ in order to ensure that we are training and putting skilled drivers on the road,” said Dr. Winston, who is the Center’s scientific director.