Enhancing driver education with driving simulators: what do novice drivers perceive as effective?

Technology developments, and particularly driving simulators, provide an opportunity to bridge the gap between research and practice in driver training. However, few studies investigate how young people are likely to engage with technologically-augmented driver education using driving simulators. This study surveyed novice drivers aged 18 to 20 with provisional driving licenses (N=273) and investigated their perceptions of what medium and high fidelity simulators could be effective at if included in a driver education course. We found that, despite a large focus on procedural skills, novice drivers thought that simulators could be used also for higher level skills, and that it aligned with their expectations about driver education, which suggests that enhancing this countermeasure with driving simulators would be accepted by novice drivers.