Investigating Differences In Driver Accident Involvement: The Influence of Perceptual Motor Competence, Competitive Athletics, and Gender

Abstract

This report presents results of a study to determine if skills developed in competitive athletics transfer to driving ability, and whether such transfer is mediated by gender. To test these questions, we compared the driving ability of male/female athletes and male/female nonathletes in high-demand, simulated driving situations. A front-projector simulator was used to create a virtual driving environment. A full-sized Honda Accord served as the simulation vehicle. Sensors in the vehicle measured participants' performance and behaviors under different following and braking conditions in eight experimental trials. The findings of the study do not support the hypothesis that males and females differed significantly with respect to driving and braking performance; however, some results indicate a clear performance advantage for athletes over nonathletes. Furthermore, some descriptive data seem to indicate that the performance gap between female athletes and female nonathletes was wider than the performance gap between their male counterparts. Descriptive statistics for each performance measure are provided. Finally, the report makes recommendations for research to further examine the nature of the links among gender, sport and driving performance, as well as recommendations for integrating activities that enhance perceptual motor skills into driver training programs.