Teens need more practice anticipating road hazards

11/19/2002

Even if they don't utter the words out loud, parents who hand the keys to the car over to a teen-age son or daughter are thinking: "Be careful."

The dangers facing all drivers are very real, but somehow we're not sure our kids grasp those dangers - no matter how much we try to warn them.

Now there's empirical evidence validating state laws that put restrictions on teen-agers' drivers' licenses - evidence that also provides ammunition for parents who insist that their kids get enough practice time before they go solo behind the wheel.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts found that younger, inexperienced drivers often fail to see dangerous situations developing on the road, contributing to the high accident rate.

The study, which tested drivers of different ages on a driving simulator, showed that experienced drivers were more adept at avoiding accidents than inexperienced drivers.

For instance, when a truck was stopped on the side of the road, drivers with less than six months' driving experience were able to anticipate that a pedestrian might walk out from in front of the vehicle into the roadway only 5 percent of the time, while drivers who were 60 years of age anticipated the pedestrian 55 percent of the time.

Donald L. Fisher, a professor of industrial engineering who headed the research project at the UMass Human Performance Laboratory in Amherst, said understanding the basics of operating a car isn't enough.

Fisher and his colleagues created a series of 16 driving scenarios - including a bicyclist on the road and a stop sign at the top of a hill - to test the skills of 72 people with varying experience.

"People who are new behind the wheel don't necessarily identify these situations as being potentially dangerous," Fisher said.

"We tested the participants in the driving simulator and followed their eye movements to determine whether they know where the danger is, and the simple fact is, they don't."

Earning a driver's license is a passport to adulthood, but traffic accident statistics remain a sobering reminder that the rite of passage can be fraught with danger.

Traffic accidents were the leading cause of death for teens 16 to 19 in 2,000, with 5,600 killed.

In 1998, the state of Massachusetts wisely passed a law that makes the first driver's license harder to get and keep.

The law requires completion of formal driver's education classes for motorists aged 16 and 17, as well as another 12 hours of on-the-road instruction from a parent or guardian.

UMass' simulator offers another valuable tool - one that parents can encourage new drivers to access through the laboratory's Web site. Be careful and try it out.