Investigating Differences between Experienced Adult Drivers and Teen Drivers with Low-Cost Vehicle Data Recorder

This study used a low-cost vehicle data recorder (LCVDR) to investigate the differences between teenage and adult drivers. The relatively high cost of current vehicle data-recording systems has often been cited by parents as a deterrent to using such systems. A lower-cost, less-intrusive system for monitoring teen driving behavior would mitigate these concerns. However, the first step was to determine whether low-fidelity data collection devices could discriminate between the driving characteristics of different populations. Teenage and adult drivers had the LCVDR installed in their personal vehicles for four weeks. For each drive, the device recorded a summary of driving performance, including distance driven, drive duration, speed, and sudden braking and acceleration events. The device also calculated a fuel economy and safety score for each drive. Results showed that teen drivers had much higher rates of sudden stops and starts per mile driven than adult drivers. These trends remained intact even after controlling for distance driven on both short and longer drives. Across all drivers in both groups, there was a significant correlation between sudden stops and starts. The teen drivers whose safety scores were in the top third had braking and acceleration profiles similar to the experienced adult drivers. These results demonstrate that significant differences between teen and adult drivers can be measured with lower-cost, lower-fidelity devices. Future research will investigate the effectiveness of training programs designed around the data provided by such devices.