Learner drivers are being invited to test how good — or bad — they are at spotting potential hazards on the road, with the help of University of Nottingham researchers.

Learners are being offered the chance to use the very latest driving simulator at the University to help them sharpen their driving skills —while getting paid in the process.

Psychologists are looking for 200 learner drivers to take part in a study looking at the way that novice drivers can become distracted, and how they react to common potential hazards that are faced by drivers on the road every day.

And as well as helping them to prepare for their own driving tests with the latest high-tech equipment, volunteers will be aiding research aimed at increasing safety on UK roads in the future.

The researchers are keen to hear from learners aged between 17 and 25, who have had six or more on-road lessons and who are learning to drive in the UK.

They will be put through their paces in a driving simulator recently installed in a laboratory at the School of Psychology. While ‘driving’, participants wear a special helmet with a sensitive device installed for tracking eye movement. They then follow a route which involves various hazards, and the simulator not only detects how they respond to the hazards, but exactly where they look at each stage of the journey.

This should take less than one hour and each volunteer will be paid £7 for taking part.

“The simulator is a real boon to learner drivers because they can encounter hazardous situations, and learn from them, without any actual physical risk. Given that hazard perception is a skill that learner drivers need to develop to pass their driving test any extra practice they can get will be beneficial.”

New drivers are involved in a disproportionately high number of accidents in the UK, and research suggests one factor might be the way they react when potential hazards appear on the road. One of the main differences between novice and experienced drivers is that novices tend to want to look either straight ahead, or down at the dashboard, while experienced drivers pay much more attention to their surroundings rather than their own car.

The University of Nottingham researchers hope that their findings will be used to help train new drivers to be more aware of hazards and better able to deal with them.

The study is being funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It is designed primarily to develop some training procedures for driving schools to introduce to their learners.

The team is recruiting now and learners can contact Angela Gillett on 0115 951 5306, angela.gillett@nottingham.ac.uk, Dr Lyn Jackson on 0115 951 5317 lxj@psychology.nottingham.ac.uk, or, or go to the School of Psychology website and register interest at:

http://http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725112652.htm

Extra questions for learner drivers

Driving Instructors in Bedford are reminding learner drivers that from 3 September 2007, the number of multiple choice questions in the theory test for car and motorcycle candidates will increase from 35 to 50.

This increase is designed to develop higher driving standards and maximise the test’s potential for road safety and other benefits. The maximum time allowed to complete the multiple choice questions part of the test will be 57 minutes and candidates will need to achieve a pass mark of at least 43 correct responses out of 50.

All car and motorcycle candidates calling or going online to book theory tests which will fall either on or after 3 September will be made aware of the increased length and cost of the test. The fee will increase from £21.50 to £28.50.

To book a theory test, candidates should visit www.direct.gov.uk/drivingtest or call 0870 0101 372; (Minicom: 0870 01 06 372; Welsh Speakers: 0870 01 00 372).