Knowledge and Driving

In order to improve the ability to predict involvement in collisions and to minimise the number of crashes, it is important to identify those drivers who require additional practise. In the past, knowledge (learning of facts) was regarded as a basic requirement for driving a vehicle. Authorities relied on exams that tested the driver's level of knowledge and not his/her abilities, i.e. the driver's speed of perception, decision - making abilities or his/her ability to act on those decisions. In the past, it was also thought that some people are just born to have crashes, but in fact, such a trait was not found to exist. On the other hand, thinking patterns leading to involvement in crashes were identified. This concept was examined in relation to experienced drivers, men and women of various ages, by means of examining their information processing abilities, with an emphasis on their ability to do more than one thing at a time.

Divided Attention and Collisions

Test results were correlated to the number of crashes in which the drivers were recently involved. Results indicated a clear relationship between drivers' errors in directing their attention (the ability to go from one task to another with minimum effort and minimum decrease in performance) and their involvement in crashes.

Training Attention

Researchers argue that proper practising of attention capabilities or other capabilities, first in an artificial context and later in real - time settings, will bring about a gradual improvement in those abilities. The idea is to cause mental processes that require effort, to gradually become easier and more skilful. People who do this practise, will be able to make their attention processes more automatic and efficient relative to their starting point.

Based on:
Avolio, B.J. (State University of New York), Galen Kroeck, K. (Florida International University), & Panek P.E. (Eastern Illinois University) (1985). Individual differences in information - processing ability as a predictor of motor vehicle accidents. Human Factors. Vol. 27(5), pp. 577 - 587