Young drivers are at heightened risk of road traffic collisions due to their tendency for riskier driving behaviours, such as excessive acceleration and speed (Twisk & Stacey, 2007). In-vehicle feedback systems offer a potential intervention by providing real-time behavioural cues to promote safer driving (Ouimet, 2015). 

This study examines the effects of a visual feedback intervention on young drivers’ behaviour (speed, departures out of lane and crashes). Thirty-eight healthy young participants completed five identical simulator drives on a 3.1-mile winding country road. Drives 1, 2, and 5 had no feedback. During Drives 3 and 4, a dashboard-mounted foot-above-pedal symbol illuminated when the accelerator was pressed beyond 12˚ (more than halfway down). In Drive 3, participants were not informed of its meaning or how they should respond; in Drive 4, they were instructed to ease off the accelerator when the symbol lit up.

 Results showed that 60% of all participants triggered the feedback. Males comprised 74% of those that triggered the feedback light. Participants who triggered the feedback were significantly faster across all drives compared to those that did not trigger the feedback. They also made more out-of-lane excursions in every drive except Drive 4 (feedback with instruction). There were no significant differences in driving behaviour between the males and females in the feedback group during any of the drives. These findings suggest that  visual feedback can influence driving behaviour of healthy young drivers by reducing their driving speed and out of lane excursions.

Dr Maaike Esselaar, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Manchester Metropolitan University

Dr. Maaike Esselaar is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Manchester Metropolitan University, specialising in motor control and brain-muscle communication. Her research focuses on brain and muscle interaction within a range of different clinical conditions. 

Her current project investigates how nerve damage in the feet caused by diabetes affects driver safety. 

With over eight years of research experience, she has led multidisciplinary projects, including interventions for movement skill enhancement in different clinical populations. Dr. Esselaar’s work has been presented at leading international conferences, and she actively publishes on topics involving action observation, motor imagery, and motor cognition.