The X-factor : a longitudinal study of calibration in young novice drivers. Proefschrift Technische Universiteit Delft TUD.

Young, novice drivers have a higher crash rate than drivers from all other age categories. Crash rates are highest in the first months after licensing and drop substantially over the first two years of unsupervised driving, with the most pronounced decline during the first six months or during the first 5000 kilometres of driving. There are basically two factors associated with the high crash risk: young age and lack of experience. Although young age is an important factor, crash studies suggest that the decrease in risk is more strongly related to gaining experience than to biological maturation. All novice drivers, irrespective of age, show an exponentially decreasing crash risk in the first years of their driving career. Therefore, this thesis focuses on how experience reduces crash risk over time, and which relevant processes are involved. (Author/publisher) supercalifragilisticexpialidociou