Learning to drive: from hazard detection to hazard handling

Madigan, Mary Ruth

Learning to drive: from hazard detection to hazard handling

dc.check.embargoformat	Not applicable	en
dc.check.info	No embargo required	en
dc.check.opt-out	Not applicable	en
dc.check.reason	No embargo required	en
dc.check.type	No Embargo Required
dc.contributor.advisor	Groeger, John	en
dc.contributor.advisor	McCarthy, John	en
dc.contributor.author	Madigan, Mary Ruth
dc.contributor.funder	Road Safety Authority, Ireland	en
dc.date.accessioned	2015-09-11T14:29:34Z
dc.date.available	2015-09-11T14:29:34Z
dc.date.issued	2013
dc.date.submitted	2014
dc.description.abstract	Hazard perception has been found to correlate with crash involvement, and has thus been suggested as the most likely source of any skill gap between novice and experienced drivers. The most commonly used method for measuring hazard perception is to evaluate the perception-reaction time to filmed traffic events. It can be argued that this method lacks ecological validity and may be of limited value in predicting the actions drivers’ will take to hazards encountered. The first two studies of this thesis compare novice and experienced drivers’ performance on a hazard detection test, requiring discrete button press responses, with their behaviour in a more dynamic driving environment, requiring hazard handling ability. Results indicate that the hazard handling test is more successful at identifying experience-related differences in response time to hazards. Hazard detection test scores were strongly related to performance on a driver theory test, implying that traditional hazard perception tests may be focusing more on declarative knowledge of driving than on the procedural knowledge required to successfully avoid hazards while driving. One in five Irish drivers crash within a year of passing their driving test. This suggests that the current driver training system does not fully prepare drivers for the dangers they will encounter. Thus, the third and fourth studies in this thesis focus on the development of two simulator-based training regimes. In the third study participants receive intensive training on the molar elements of driving i.e. speed and distance evaluation. The fourth study focuses on training higher order situation awareness skills, including perception, comprehension and projection. Results indicate significant improvement in aspects of speed, distance and situation awareness across training days. However, neither training programme leads to significant improvements in hazard handling performance, highlighting the difficulties of applying learning to situations not previously encountered.	en
dc.description.status	Not peer reviewed	en
dc.description.version	Accepted Version
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.citation	Madigan, M. R. 2013. Learning to drive: from hazard detection to hazard handling. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.	en
dc.identifier.endpage	250
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10468/1970
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	University College Cork	en
dc.relation.uri	http://library.ucc.ie/record=b2099135
dc.rights	© 2013, M. Ruth Madigan.	en
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/	en
dc.subject	Driving	en
dc.subject	Hazard perception	en
dc.subject	Driving simulator	en
dc.subject	Situation awareness	en
dc.subject	Speed	en
dc.subject	Transfer of learning	en
dc.subject	Distance	en
dc.thesis.opt-out	false
dc.title	Learning to drive: from hazard detection to hazard handling	en
dc.type	Doctoral thesis	en
dc.type.qualificationlevel	Doctoral	en
dc.type.qualificationname	PhD (Arts)	en
ucc.workflow.supervisor	s.hammond@ucc.ie