DRIVING SIMULATOR Rij-instructie volume 52 | nr 6. | june 2016 Independent Journal for Driving Education in the Netherlands Coauthor: Jorrit Kuipers (jorrit@greendino.nl)
Scientific research proves the benefit of a simulator
Training in driving simulator leads
to increased safety on the road A Viewing registration training in a simulator contributes to driving simulation students pay less greater safety on the road. People who have completed for their driver training and driving schools earn more from driving this training are less frequently involved in accidents. simulation students compared to Furthermore, this training contributes to a reduction in the students who are only taught on the number of driving lessons. Scientific research, initiated by road. A question that was not yet Green Dino, proves this. Read the conclusions below. answered, concerning the involvement of driving simulator students in accidents In November 2013, Rij-instructie In the period between 2005 and after obtaining the driving license. Is reported that 10 years after the 2013, PhD students Joost de Winter it bigger, smaller or doesn't it make a introduction of driving simulators in and Stefan de Groot conducted a difference? That question is the Netherlands, it could be series of studies. They found answered below. concluded that the promises had been irrefutably evidence that driving fulfilled. Driving simulator creator and simulation students require an equal REPLACING DRIVING LESSONS builder Green Dino in Wageningen amount of learning hours to pass, In the early years of development, asked Delft University of Technology and have a higher chance of Green Dino primarily focused on the to conduct research into the passing, on the first driving exam replacement of driving lessons on the road and automation of driving dependability of its driving simulators. compared to regular students. In instructions. addition, we reported exclusively that
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insufficient feedback also applies to
the first months after obtaining one's driving license. The feedback from the driving instructor is completely removed. This feedback was present up to the point of obtaining the driving license and ensured that the student could maintain the knowledge required to drive safely. Upon obtaining one's driving license, this feedback from the instructor The most important reason for this The student learns how to approach suddenly disappears, causing the was the shortage of driving instructors and cross an intersection, including student to unconsciously lose part of and the enormous waiting lists around the procedure for mirroring. If the his/her knowledge. As a the turn of the century. When it student performs the task well consequences, procedures are no became clear that driving lessons can (automated), he or she receives longer applied correctly, resulting in a indeed be replaced by driving fewer instructions. However, errors greater risk of accidents. simulators and automated instruction, in the viewing procedure could not the question arose on which points be identified. The result was that PILOTS the driving simulator could be students got sloppy when viewing, It is remarkable that pilots also improved. Following the PhD studies but didn't receive any feedback on it. experienced a drop in knowledge by Joost and Stefan, it became clear The brain needs this feedback to after the introduction of the automatic that young drivers are four to six times solidify the knowledge that is being pilot. For example, they received more likely to be involved in an processed. When this feedback isn't less feedback from the aircraft and accident after obtaining their driving there and knowledge is insufficiently therefore became less skilled over license compared to more solidified, this knowledge is lost time. By training in flight simulators, experienced drivers. again. pilots now ensure that their skills are maintained (incidentally, Dutch NO SECRET AUTOMATIC FACIAL Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen Moreover, it is no public secret that RECOGNITION does the same). Jorrit is convinced one only truly learns how to drive after In 2009, Green Dino solved the that the intensity of the feedback from obtaining their license. An interesting problem of the viewing behaviour the driving instructor causes the drop detail is the fact that the risk of being with automatic facial recognition in in knowledge for the student after involved in an accident is greater for the driving simulator. By showing obtaining the driving license. The drivers who pass their exam the first time compared to drivers who fail their the student a red field in the area more the student is drilled during first driving exams. This is true all where he/she should have looked, his/her education, the larger the drop around the world. For Green Dino, the student receives necessary will be after obtaining the driving this posed a dilemma. Increasing the feedback to solidify his/her license. By making mistakes, the passing rate automatically means knowledge. This is literally 'gaining student restores this lost knowledge increasing the chance of involvement experience'. The mechanism in over time (he/she gains experience). in accidents. This stands contrary to which knowledge is lost due to Green Dino's mission to make a positive contribution to social well- being: cheaper driving education and less accidents among young drivers. 3,500 people participated In total, more than 3,500 former students filled out the online survey. Of PhD RESEARCH these, 2,439 surveys were completely and correctly filled out and thus For owner Jorrit Kuipers, this was included in the research. This amount is more than sufficient to judge the the reason to start a PhD research at results as "reliable" or "coincidental". Delft University of Technology. He believes that the underlying cause The survey was not randomly held among all former students in the for the high involvement in accidents Netherlands. Only former students from driving schools using a driving should be found in the working of the simulator from Green Dino were approached. It is of course possible that these brain. For example, he noticed that driving schools attract another type of student or teach differently compared to driving simulation students who other driving schools in the Netherlands. This may mean that the results are learned how to use their mirrors, not representative for all driving schools in the Netherlands. To exclude this quickly forgot how to carry out the effect, the researcher only looked at the differences between the students that procedure properly when the registered for the driving simulator. By dividing the driving simulation students automatic instruction on this ended. into groups, it was possible to determine whether the hypothesis was correct. This was the case when the The group of simulation students was split up into two groups that followed the simulator did not yet have the ability Vehicle Control module or the modules Vehicle Control and Crossing. In to judge the viewing behaviour of the addition, a distinction was made between former students who had or had not students. received feedback from the viewing registration. Another distinction was made in whether or not Danger Recognition training was followed.
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FATAL DESIGN FOR RESEARCH This should result in a higher chance
Sadly, for some students these In September of 2015, Jorrit asked at passing the first exam and a mistakes are fatal. Based on the new psychologist Tessa Termorshuizen decrease in accidents immediately insights, Green Dino has decided to to determine whether the chosen after obtaining the license. The make some improvements in terms of course was the correct one. She reliability of the research is partly instruction and assessment, aimed at designed a survey and sent this to determined by the size of the driver reducing the drop in knowledge after former driving simulator students. group contributing to the research. obtaining one's driving license. The She approached 23,000 former viewing registration is the most students in total. These former RESULTS remarkable example, but the students obtained their driving license On the basis of the research into introduction of the training Danger between 2007 and 2015. accidents, Tessa concluded that Recognition by the Scientific Jorrit is currently using the results for viewing registration has a reliable Research Foundation for Road Safety the completion of his doctoral effect on the involvement in accidents. (SWOV) is also aimed at this. An research. He will be awarded a PhD The former students who used additional advantage is that these at the end of the year, on the subject viewing registration are less frequently measures also support knowledge of 'Automated training and involved in accidents. Of this group development. New skills are learned assessment of car drivers'. For this that took the Vehicle Control and quicker and remembered better. This reason, Tessa's research had to meet Crossing modules with viewing should result in an increase in the the criteria of scientific research. In registration in the driving simulator, chance of passing the first exam and short, this meant examining whether a 5.1 percent was involved in accidents a decrease in involvement in hypothesis was correct or wrong. It in the first year after obtaining their accidents in the first months after was important that the results were driving license. Of the group who did obtaining one's driving license. An reliable and not incidental. not receive feedback on viewing explicit decision was made not to registration in the driving simulator, decrease the amount of driving VALID 13.8 percent was involved in lessons. After all, fewer driving In addition, the results must be valid. accidents. A difference of 8,7, a lessons means less experience, This means that the results can not be reduction of 63 percent! which increases the chance of being influenced by matters that are not involved in accidents. For the accounted for in the research. The DANGER RECOGNITION student, it is best to take as many hypothesis that Jorrit wanted Tessa to There is no data available on driving lessons as possible. In case of examine, was geared towards the involvement in accidents for the a driving simulator, it will not cost processing of information in the brain. students that completed the Danger them more money and it will only He expected that when brain function Recognition module. This is because increase the driving school's profit is taken more into account, the relapse the training was added to the driving levels. So it was said, so it was done. in knowledge during and after driving simulator in 2014 and there were only instructions will be less significant. a few former students who followed this training and had 12 months of
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The survey also inquired
Objective about the number of driving lessons that the former Given that the initiator of the student followed on the scientific research was Green road and his/her result in Dino - developer and the first driving exam. For manufacturer of simulators - one the group of students who may quickly think: 'of course, drove with viewing the butcher who approves his registration, a reliable own meat'. positive effect. 3.7 hours It is therefore important to fewer driving lessons was stress that one can only be identified, compared to rewarded a PhD at a University students who drove without if your supervisor believes you viewing registration. In can judge a certain situation or total, the average duration topic objectively and of lessons on the road was 41.5 hours and had a higher chance at passing independently. for former students who drove with the first exam compared to students viewing registration and 45.2 hours for who didn't take driving lessons with For Green Dino owner Jorrit the group who drove without viewing viewing registration. The Danger Kuipers, this was the reason to registration. Recognition training amplified this enter a request to do his PhD Former students who took the Danger effect. Tessa also found that students research at the Man-machine Recognition course, drove a total of who had taken more driving Systems faculty. Prof. dr. Peter 38.9 hours on the road in order to simulation lessons needed fewer Wieringa believed Jorrit pass, 6.3 fewer hours than students exam attempts to succeed. demonstrated the ability to work who drove without viewing registration CONCLUSIONS objectively and independently as a and didn't take the Danger researcher. According to Recognition course. The nationwide The research conducted by Tessa Wieringa, there was no question of average for obtaining one's driving shows that Jorrit's hypothesis is a conflict of interest and he license is about 43 hours of driving correct. When during driving lessons, honoured the promotion request. lessons (source: SWOV). The chance the information processing functions of passing the first exam for the group of the brain are increasingly taken into driving experience. Nationwide, the students who drove with viewing account, this has positive effects on average for involvement in accidents registration was also proven to the retention of knowledge during and in the first year after obtaining one's differentiate from the chance of after driver training. This has been driving license was 7.5 percent, for passing for students who drove proven for (former) students who 2toDrive students the average was without viewing registration. This was received feedback on viewing even higher: 8.8 percent (source: 59.6 percent to 51.8 percent for the registration during driving lessons and SWOV). group who drove without viewing who took the Danger Recognition registration. course in a Green Dino driving RELIABLE CONNECTIONS simulator. Moreover, the involvement Former driving simulation students VIEWING REGISTRATION in accidents and the total number of who drove with viewing registration For students who drove on the driving driving lessons on the road also are less frequently involved in simulator with viewing registration and decreased. The chance of passing the accidents compared to students who who also took the Danger Recognition first driving exam increases as the didn't drive with viewing registration. course, the chance of passing the first amount of driving lessons on the Furthermore, Tessa found reliable exam was no less than 81.8 percent. simulator increase. In addition, the connections between the number of The nationwide average for obtaining costs of the completed driving training unilateral accidents, economical the driving license at the first exam decrease for the student and the profit driving and avoiding risks during was 48.0 percent between 2008 and per student increases for the driving driving simulation training and the 2015 (source: CBR), a difference of school. Based on these results and involvement in accidents in the first 11.6 percent compared to students the results from previous (PhD) year after obtaining one's driving who drove with viewing registration studies, Jorrit Kuipers, PhD candidate license. Her conclusion is that the and 33.8 percent to students who also at the Delft University of Technology, risk of being involved in accidents took the Danger Recognition course. recommends driving schools to allow decreases in the event more lessons their students to take basic driving were taken in the driving simulator FEWER DRIVING LESSONS training with automated viewing with feedback of the viewing registration and the Danger Former students who took driving registration. Recognition module. This can be lessons in the driving simulator with done in a driving simulator, for viewing registration on average NUMBER OF DRIVING LESSONS example. required fewer driving lessons to pass