From Managing the Car to Managing the Road: The Development of Driving Skills

Skilled driving requires complex cognitive and recognitional abilities. We used a Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) and a low tech simulation to study experience linked differences in these abilities. Inexperienced (n=18) and experienced (n=17) drivers participated. The inexperienced drivers struggled with control. They worked to keep their car between the lines and execute turns. In time, automatized performance replaced conscience control. Some situations, like icy roadways, were automatized later than others. As driving reached automaticity, drivers began attending to a wider range of cues. They predicted and avoided problems. A broader view of the roadway emerged in parallel with the development of anticipation. We also observed that experienced drivers were more likely to know their limits and adopted effective compensatory strategies. The Dreyfus & Dreyfus (1986) model of expertise is used to describe these systematic changes. Protocol analysis suggested guidelines for training novice drivers and for upgrading skills of long term drivers.