Teenage Passenger Influences on Driving Performance of Teenage Drivers

Motor Vehicle Crash Injuries

Simulated Driving, Risky Driving Behavior, Social Influences

This study, conducted at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, will examine how male teenage driving performance varies in the presence or absence of male teenage passengers. It will explore what information teen drivers and their passengers use when making decisions that affect their performance on the road. Male drivers under 18 years of age who have a Junior Operator's or Full License and have driven at least once in the month before enrolling in the study may be eligible to participate. In a university laboratory, participants sit in a 1995 Saturn sedan and operate the controls of the car just as they would those of any other car, during simulated drives in urban, suburban and rural areas. They are fitted with a head-mounted eye tracker that records their point of gaze in real time. On one drive, the subject drives alone; on another, a male passenger rides along. After the drives, the subject fills out some questionnaires.

The purpose of this research is to examine how male teenage driving performance varies in the presence or absence of high versus low risk accepting male teenage passengers. Driving performance includes attention and risk measures including eye glance behaviors, speed management, following distance, closing speed and gap acceptance. To what extent does driving performance vary as a product of the male teen passenger risk- acceptance compared with no passenger present?

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United States