Minding the Gap: Effects of an Attention Maintenance Training Program on Driver Calibration

Area of Science:

• Driver training and cognitive psychology
• Human factors in transportation safety
• Young driver behavior and risk assessment

Background:

• Young drivers exhibit deficits in maintaining forward roadway attention.
• Drivers often overestimate their attention maintenance capabilities.
• Driver training programs may improve attention and self-calibration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the FOrward Concentration and Attention Learning (FOCAL) program's impact on young drivers' attention maintenance.
• To assess FOCAL's effect on drivers' calibration of their attention estimation abilities.
• To compare FOCAL training with a placebo program using normalized difference and Brier scores.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-six young drivers participated in either FOCAL or placebo training.
• Participants underwent driving simulator evaluations with eye-tracking.
• In-vehicle tasks included a simulated map task on a tablet.

Main Results:

• FOCAL-trained drivers demonstrated improved attention to the roadway.
• FOCAL led to better calibration accuracy using normalized difference scores.
• Brier scores did not show significant differences in calibration between groups.

Conclusions:

• The FOCAL program shows potential for enhancing both attention maintenance and calibration skills in young drivers.
• Driver training can be designed to target cognitive skills and self-calibration.
• Improved calibration is critical for young driver safety.