Title and sub-title:

One risk factor that appears to be unique to young drivers is the carrying of passengers. A number of studies have shown that young drivers were more likely to crash when passengers were present. The present project aims to train communication skills between young drivers and their passengers. The training program involved a two-hour facilitated discussion workshop, which aimed to fill some of the gaps in traditional driver education. In this pilot study, we have restricted our sample to only young male drivers, because they represent the highest risk group. To evaluate the effects of training, we compared the group of trained drivers, with a group of untrained drivers on various measures, including simulator driving behaviour, in-vehicle communication, and questionnaires. Thirty-one pairs of friends (one driver and one passenger) were tested in the Advanced Driving Simulator at Monash University. All participants were male, aged 18 to 21, and held probationary drivers licences. When tested in the driving simulator, trained participants adopted a longer headway to the lead vehicle than did untrained participants. Furthermore, when presented with an emergency vehicle turning across at an intersection (i.e., an unexpected hazard), trained participants approached this intersection at a slower speed than did untrained participants. Thes