Higher order training supporting competence, autonomy, relatedness (HOT-CAR): A model to improve learner drivers' higher order skills

• Published in: Transportation research. Part F, Traffic psychology and behaviour Traffic psychology and behaviour, 2021-07, Vol.80, p.79-89
• Main Authors: Watson-Brown, Natalie, Scott-Parker, Bridie, Senserrick, Teresa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; Automobile drivers; Automobile driving; Autonomy; Critical components; Driver training; Drivers licenses; Education; Goals for driver education; Higher-order instruction; Higher-order skills; Self-determination theory; Skills; Teaching methods; Traffic accidents & safety; Traffic safety; Training; Young driver
• ISSN: 1369-8478; 1873-5517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2021.03.013

•Theoretically-informed higher-order instruction has potential to improve driver safety.•Transtheoretical model (Goals for Driver Education/Self-Determination Theory) proposed.•Model aims to guide novice driver development of sustained higher-order skills.•Practical guide for instructor on-road training, with content and teaching strategies.•Teaching strategies integrated with the model and highlighted with real-world examples. Approaches to teaching young Learners to drive on-road often lack a strong, overarching theoretical framework. This paper proposes a transtheoretical model to guide instruction of higher-order skills – that are associated with reduced crash risk in young drivers – including established teaching techniques for effective instruction. Learnings from Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Goals for Driver Education framework (widely identified as best-practice but not effectively translated into practice) were integrated into the Higher Order Training supporting Competence, Autonomy, Relatedness (HOT-CAR) model. The model was empirically informed from naturalistic observation of professional in-vehicle lessons (n = 110) and a survey of young adolescent drivers (n = 1627). The HOT-CAR model is presented as a three-component framework that recognises learning to drive occurs within a broader system beyond the Learner and the instructor. The foundation of the model identifies the nature of the relationship between the Learner and the instructor that underlies the success of all other elements. The core of the model is the higher-order driving instruction approach including teaching strategies informed by SDT’s needs-supportive model. The context for the model incorporates some of the immediate considerations relevant to instruction; for example, the graduated driver licensing system, automated vehicle features, and peer influence. An example of the application of the model is provided to reflect the immediate practicality of the HOT-CAR model to driver training. This contributes to the limited road safety literature providing a practical solution to Learner driver training that has potential to reduce the crash risk of young novice drivers. Importantly, the model has potential to be applied and adapted to education and other training environments where higher-order skills are a safety–critical component.