Safe Speed Forums

Has anyone else seen that BBC programme Road Rage School? Ok, I know its voyeuristic TV to get us sniggering or gasping at how bad some peoples' driving actually is (and its amazing how many females are represented ), but its conducted by researchers from Cranfield University, predominantly Dr Lisa Dorn. Their Drivermetrics website (here http://www.drivermetrics.co.uk/consumer/), offers a full psychometric test which gives you a Driver Risk Index; your strengths and weaknesses as a driver. Snag is, it costs £20 quid to take
The website has an interesting peek at the science behind it, including how the Risk index is compiled and strategies such as self-assessment to avoid repeating errors. Isn't that what Paul often emphasises here?

Yeah. I met Lisa Dorn in Wrexham last week. We have a lot in common. It remains to be seen how this will develop...

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I think this is a useful tool. Perhaps not for new drivers whose driving patterns are insufficiently established but definitely for a driver who has a few years under his/her belt.

A requirement to sit the appraisal could be combined with a re-testing regime so that training needs can be identified and focussed. That could make a real difference.

Big question - is the road safety establishment capable of the vision necessary to roll out something like this?

Oh - and is anybody amongst us brave enough to take the test and publish the result here? I am tempted.

If it seemed likely to offer any benefit to the driving community as a whole I would be quite willing to have my driving characteristics reviewed, and let the results be published, good, bad or indifferent, but I am not going to spend money on it unless it would offer some benefit that I would be interested in directly.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

I'm perfectly happy to take it... if someone else pays

If someone wants to check out their "scientific research" it is likely to contain the questionnaire / similar that they give you, or at least one the same.

Gut feeling is that it will be a questionnaire like the one near the beginning of roadcraft: "Do you speed? Oh dear you're ten times as likely to crash."

Well I've taken the test and these are the results.

I don't think I find anything I strongly disagree with - except I'd say my "hazard monitoring" is higher than medium. There is a whole bank of questions which ask for your response where driving is "difficult, stressful or upsetting". I wasn't really sure how to answer some of those because I can't say that I ever find driving conditions difficult, stressful or upsetting. For me, they are what they are. If I can do something about it, I do. If I can't, it doesn't bother me.

Is it worth it? Probably marginal from a personal perspective but if I was an employer with a number of business drivers, I might well consider it as a tool to identify training needs. I don't have any direct knowledge but I'd guess that reducing the incidence of crashes/time off would have a good pay back. If this test (as I think it may well be) is capable of identifiying higher risk drivers, it would pay for itself quite easily.

Consumer Driver Risk Index Test
Test Results
Full report of assessment results for Tim Spring

Thank you for completing the DRI. A full and detailed report of your results is shown below, starting with the summary of your assessment and then detailing the full results.

Assessment Summary
Test Started 27/09/05 16:49
Test Date 27/09/05 17:06
Behavioural Profile medium
Situational Profile low
Overall Risk Rating low

Behavioural Risk Profile - Behavioural Factors
Category Profile
Aggression low
Dislike of Driving low
Thrill Seeking medium
Hazard Monitoring medium
Fatigue Proneness low
Impression Management high
Driver Confidence high justified

Behavioural Risk Profile - Coping Factors
Category Profile
Confrontive Coping medium
Task Focus Coping medium
Emotional Coping low
Reappraisal Coping medium
Avoidance Coping medium

Situational Risk Profile
Category Profile
Gender male
Age 47
Mileage 16-20k
Hours Driving 0-5
Years Driving > 30
Licence Check > 3 years
Licence Status none
Accident History none

What makes up your behavioural risk profile?

This section of the report identifies your general personality-based emotional reactions to driving that previous research has found to be related to driving behaviour and risk of collisions. Your responses have indicated whether you score high, medium or low on five driver behaviour factors each of which are individually associated with particular ways of driving, some of which are beneficial and some of which place you at risk as shown in the diagram below.

Most drivers believe they are better than the 'average' driver. A measure of the extent to which your responses are biased in this direction is shown in this section as 'Driver Confidence'. If you genuinely have very good driving skills then your confidence level maybe justified. However this needs to be balanced against the factors in you situational risk profile. For example if you have been involved in previous accidents, are under 25 years of age and/or have numerous penalty points on your licence then you confidence level may not be justified.

The extent to which you are concerned about what other drivers think of you is also measured as part of the assessment and is shown as a factor called 'Impression Management'.

If your score suggests that your behaviour may place you at risk, please contact our driver training partner Peak Performance Management Limited using the enquiry form. Peak Performance offer in-vehicle and classroom based training sessions aimed at reducing driving risk.

Each of your category results is explained in detail in the following paragraphs:

Aggression
Driving does not usually make you feel aggressive and as such you mostly drive in a fairly calm and patient manner. You are unlikely to lose your temper or become frustrated by other drivers and you tend to be courteous towards them. In general you accept the traffic situations that you find yourself in and stay relaxed even in demanding driving conditions. You are not overly concerned about making progress through traffic and tend not to take risks. You may even be quite calm after a difficult city drive.

Dislike of Driving
You mostly enjoy driving and feel quite confident in your driving abilities. You do not usually feel tense or anxious even in difficult driving situations. If you make mistakes in traffic you are not likely to worry about them. You still enjoy driving even when under pressure. Unfamiliar roads and bad weather for example is unlikely to make you worried or anxious. You are quite confident in your driving skills.

Thrill Seeking
You sometimes enjoy the thrill of driving and when you feel an adrenaline rush you may respond by taking risks, such as driving faster than is safe under the circumstances. From time to time you might like to experience a buzz out of driving and accelerate rapidly.

Hazard Monitoring
You usually make an effort to be vigilant to hazards whilst driving, although there may be some occasions (such as when you are driving on easy or familiar roads) when you tend not to focus on potential hazards as much as you should. Navigating on unfamiliar roads can also affect your hazard awareness.

Fatigue Proneness
You are unlikely to suffer the effects of driver fatigue even when you have been driving for a long time. You tend to remain attentive and your reactions to traffic remain relatively fast. Your driving judgement is not prone to impairment after prolonged driving and you do not tend to suffer from any physical discomfort associated with driver fatigue.

Impression Management
You have a tendency to give favourable self-descriptions with a view to creating a better impression of your driving skills and behaviours. You are quite concerned about what other people think of you as a driver.

Driver Confidence
Previous research has shown that many drivers believe they are highly skilled and that they are unlikely to be involved in a collision. This belief is related to increased risk taking. Your score suggests that you have a strong belief in your abilities as a driver. Given that your situational risk is not high, you may be justified in being quite confident in your driving skills.

How do you cope with driving?
This section gives you feedback on the way that you cope with driving when conditions are demanding, challenging or stressful. Some coping strategies are effective, and some are not so effective.
Previous research indicates that ineffective coping strategies may place you at risk of being involved in a collision. If your score in the diagram below suggests that your behaviour may place you at risk, please contact Peak Performance for details of one-to-one driver training sessions.

Each of your category results is explained in detail in the paragraphs below:

Confrontive Coping
You can be assertive when driving a vehicle in any situation and so under certain difficult driving conditions you may find yourself trying to cope by being confrontational and getting annoyed with other drivers. From time to time you may tell other drivers what you think of them.

Task Focus Coping
In most difficult driving situations you cope by changing your driving behaviour to fit the conditions, for example you mostly increase your efforts to focus on driving when demands are high. However there may be occasions where you become less focused on the driving task and as such you may not always detect potential hazards.

Emotional Coping
When driving is difficult or frustrating you remain relaxed and tend not to blame yourself if you make a mistake. If you make a mistake, you are likely to shrug it off and not let it affect you. You tend not to worry about what you are going to do or the consequences of having an accident and as such is unlikely to get emotional or upset during difficult driving conditions. You are quite a confident driver.

Reappraisal Coping
Even in difficult situations, you tend to feel in control and usually look at the positives that can come out of that situation. Despite this, some situations may make it difficult for you to look on the bright side, which may mean that you do not always learn from your mistakes.

Avoidance Coping
On occasion you have a tendency to detach yourself from difficult driving situations. You may also find yourself ignoring unpleasant driving and traffic conditions in an active attempt to deal with the stress of driving.

What determines your situational risk?
This section looks at the factors that surround your individual circumstances when you drive for work.
There are a number of well known statistical measures that are applied to situational factors such as, mileage exposure, driver's age, accident history, licence status, etc., that are used within the DRI to determine a situational risk index for each individual driver. Your situational risk results are shown in the diagram below.

Each of your category results is explained in detail in the paragraphs below:

Age
Government statistics show that drivers of certain ages are more prone to crashes than other age groups, for instance younger drivers aged between 17 and 25 seem to have the most accidents so a drivers age becomes a reliable measure of risk potential.

Source: Department for Transport, Road Casualties in Great Britain 2003, The Casualty Report

Mileage
The more mileage that a driver is exposed to is proportionate to the increased risk and likelihood of having a crash, a driver who is exceeding 20,000 miles per year has a 1:250 chance of being killed in an RTA in his driving career.
Source: Peck, R.C. and Kuan, J. (1983). A statistical model of individual accident risk prediction using driver record, territory and other biological factors. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 15, 371-393

Hours Driving
The number of hours spent driving can sometimes be confused with mileage, it is possible to have a very low mileage and be driving for extended periods, for example a driver making calls or deliveries in a city environment. Or, conversely, a driver may make one journey.
Source: Horne, J.A. & Reyner, L.A. (1995). Sleep related vehicle accidents. British Medical Journal, 6979, 565-567

Accident History
Statistically, drivers who have had previous crashes are more prone to experience an additional crash if no preventative action is taken
Source: Chen, W., Cooper, P. & Pinili, M. (1995). Driver accident risk in relation to the penalty point system in British Columbia. Journal of Safety Research, 26, 9-18

Licence Status
A driver's licence status will show how a driver has been affected by speeding and other endorsements that are current on their licence; this is used as an indicator of the driver's potential for reoccurrence of this type of activity as is used by insurance companies or vehicle hire organisations.
Source: Diamantopoulou, K., Cameron, M., Dyte, D. & Harrison, W. (1997). The relationship between demerit points accrual and crash involvement. Report No. 116, Monash University Accident Research Centre

Years Driving
Experience is gained by driving over a number of years but it is also a fact that an experienced driver will probably pick up a number of habits that may not be desirable. Newer drivers are understandably less experienced but they also have the benefit of a more rigorous and detailed test regimen and more conditions placed upon their behaviour in the initial years of driving.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Casualties in Great Britain 2003,

The Casualty Report
How does the DRI compile your risk profile?
At the completion of the assessment all the assessed areas are combined through a coding system to complete your DRI assessment and produce your risk rating as shown on your summary report.

To find out more about driver training options tailored to your driver type, please contact our driver training partner Peak Performance Management Limited using the enquiry form
This is the end of your report and we hope that the experience has been revealing and rewarding in assisting you to develop your personal driving safety, thanks again for completing the DRI and safe driving!

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