Extended Evaluation of Training Programs To Accelerate Hazard Anticipation Skills in Novice Teens Drivers

Plumert, Jodie M.; Reyes, Michelle; O'Neal, Elizabeth E; Vecera, Shaun; Allen, Shawn; McGehee, Daniel V. · 2021 · ROSA P / Safety Research Using Simulation (SAFER-SIM) University Transportation Center

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Summary

This study evaluated the effectiveness of two driver training programs, the Perceptual Adaptive Learning Module (PALM) and the Accelerated Curriculum to Create Effective Learning (ACCEL), in accelerating hazard anticipation and mitigation skills among novice teen drivers. The research was motivated by high crash rates among young drivers, particularly those attributed to failures in identifying emerging roadway threats. The goal was to determine if these specific training interventions improved perceptual expertise and hazard response more effectively than the natural accumulation of driving experience alone. The researchers employed a pre-test–post-test experimental design with 141 participants aged 15 to 16 who had recently obtained licenses allowing independent driving. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: PALM training, ACCEL training, or a control group with no training. Data collection occurred across three visits: a baseline drive within two weeks of licensure, a second drive after six weeks of independent driving, and an extended evaluation drive after approximately 24 weeks. All participants completed drives in the NADS-2 high-fidelity driving simulator while wearing head-mounted eye trackers. The simulator scenarios included 25 events per drive, comprising potential hazards (e.g., obscured cross-traffic, partial lane obstructions), secondary tasks (e.g., phone dialing), and normal driving segments. Performance metrics included eye movement patterns, driving mitigation behaviors, and composite measures of situation awareness based on Endsley’s model. The analysis revealed few significant differences between the training and control conditions overall. However, specific findings emerged for each program. The ACCEL training showed a positive impact on hazard anticipation and mitigation skills but did not improve attention maintenance relative to the control group during phone dialing tasks. Conversely, the PALM training appeared effective in helping novice drivers identify, monitor, and respond to potential hazards, particularly for hazards directly represented in the training content. The study utilized manual coding of eye movements and statistical modeling to assess changes in glance timing, situational awareness levels, and driving performance metrics such as speed and lane position across the three visits. The findings suggest that while both training programs offer some benefits, their effectiveness varies by skill domain. PALM appears to enhance the identification and monitoring of specific hazards, whereas ACCEL aids in anticipation and mitigation but fails to improve divided attention during secondary tasks. These results imply that targeted training can accelerate certain aspects of perceptual expertise in novice drivers, but the transfer of skills to all driving contexts, such as attention maintenance, may be limited. The study highlights the value of extended evaluation periods in understanding how training effects persist or evolve as drivers gain independent experience.

Key finding

The ACCEL training program demonstrated a positive impact on hazard anticipation and mitigation skills, while PALM training was effective for identifying and responding to hazards directly represented in the program, with few significant differences observed overall compared to the control group.

Methodology

simulator

Sample size: 141

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• hazard perception training
• hazard perception
• novice drivers
• anticipation
• learner drivers
• situational awareness

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data
• Methodological Resource: tool software