title: Changes in self-reported driving intentions and attitudes while learning to drive in Great Britain.
abstract: Novice drivers are overrepresented in traffic collisions, especially in their first year of solo driving. It is widely accepted that some driving behaviours (such as speeding and thrill-seeking) increase risk in this group. Increasingly research is suggesting that attitudes and behavioural intentions held in the pre-driver and learning stage are important in determining later driver behaviour in solo driving. In this study we examine changes in several self-reported attitudes and behavioural intentions across the learning stage in a sample of learner drivers in Great Britain. A sample of 204 learner drivers completed a self-report questionnaire near the beginning of their learning, and then again shortly after they passed their practical driving test. Results showed that self-reported intentions regarding speed choice, perceptions regarding skill level, and intentions regarding thrill-seeking (through driving) became less safe over this time period, while self-reported intentions regarding following distance and overtaking tendency became safer. The results are discussed with reference to models of driver behaviour that focus on task difficulty; it is suggested that the manner in which behind-the-wheel experience relates to the risk measures of interest may be the key determining factor in how these change over the course of learning to drive.
authors.affiliation: Transport Research Laboratory, Crowthorne House, Nine Mile Ride, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 3GA, UK. Electronic address: shelman@trl.co.uk.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Helman
authors.forename: N A D
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kinnear
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Allsop
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Horswill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Driver attitudes; Driver behaviour; Learning to drive; New drivers; Novice drivers; Young drivers