Using naturalistic driving methods to study novice drivers

The Problem. Teenage drivers are overrepresented in fatal and injury crashes on our nation's roadways. While crash databases have allowed for a basic understanding of some of the contributing factors of crashes, these databases do not allow for deeper understanding of driver behavior. And while simulators and test tracks allow driver behavior to be tested, they are not real-world environments where drivers are exposed to their normal daily pressures. Role of Naturalistic Driving Studies. Naturalistic driving studies allow researchers to study novice driver behavior on public roadways in the seconds leading up to actual crashes and near crashes as well as a broad spectrum of traffic and roadway experiences. Naturalistic Driving Method. An overview of the naturalistic driving method will be provided, including a clear description and definition of naturalistic driving, a discussion of how this method fits into the traffic safety researcher's toolbox, and an examination of the benefits and limitations of the method. How to Design a Naturalistic Driving Study. This chapter will show researchers how to design a naturalistic driving study step by step, covering research protocol development, data collection and quality control, data coding, data coding quality control, and potential analyses that are well suited to naturalistic data. Key Analyses and Results from the Naturalistic Teenage Driving Study. Key analyses conducted with previous naturalistic driving studies will be presented, along with findings from these analyses. This section is first meant to inform researchers about the types of analyses that have been done. Secondly, because broad spectrums of analyses have not yet been performed, it is meant to entice future researchers with analyses that can and should be conducted going forward.