SHERIDAN, WYOMING – October 31, 2024 – Toyota is taking a proactive approach to teen driver safety with the launch of its new Risk-Anticipation Training To Enhance Novice Driving (Risk-ATTEND) program. This innovative initiative aims to equip new drivers with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the roads safely and responsibly.
Developed in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) and Discovery Education, Risk-ATTEND is a web-browser-based training program designed to enhance novice drivers' ability to detect and anticipate potential hazards on the road.
Addressing Critical Errors in Teen Driving
"Most teen driver crashes are due to three critical errors: lack of scanning, speeding and distraction. We're trying to deal with lack of scanning or lack of meaningful scanning. Even if you see something, if you don't know what it means or what to anticipate, it's meaningless scanning," says Zhaonan Sun, a principal scientist with Toyota's Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC).
Risk-ATTEND focuses on improving hazard anticipation accuracy, a crucial skill for safe driving.
Positive Results and Next Steps
Initial findings from the program have been promising. Statistical analyses have shown a significant improvement in hazard anticipation accuracy post-training, as measured by eye glances. Additionally, 84% of the 53 participants increased the number of full stops at stop signs after training.
"Given our history in developing training programs for teens, we expected to see improvement in teen driving skills, but our expectations were exceeded when we saw the actual results," says Shannon Roberts, an associate professor at UMass-Amherst. "The next step underway is to confirm that the improvement in teen driving skills seen in the simulator translates to improved driving behavior on the road."
Making Driver Education More Accessible
One of the key goals of Risk-ATTEND is to make driver education more accessible to the public. Unlike traditional driver education programs that often require specialized equipment and settings, Risk-ATTEND can be accessed on any personal device with an internet connection.
"With the age of personal computers, cell phones, tablets, we want to do something that can be accessed on any personal devices through the internet, and teens from anywhere can access it at any time," says Sun.
Community Collaboration and Support
Toyota emphasizes the importance of community collaboration in developing and implementing Risk-ATTEND. The company worked closely with UMass Amherst to recruit participants and conduct the training program.
"Toyota has been an amazing partner on this study. The company's vision and resources allowed for creativity and rigor in the research, and because both teams spoke a common language of safety, the collaboration was a seamless and ideal one," says Anuj K. Pradhan, an assistant professor at UMass-Amherst.
Toyota also partnered with Discovery Education to create a public-facing version of Risk-ATTEND on TeenDrive365, a comprehensive program designed to promote safe driving habits among teenagers.
"They've got deep expertise in how to reach the teen audience, and they were very instrumental in this," says Jason Hallman, senior research manager for CSRC. "They are also helping to amplify this training into school systems."
Evaluating the Program's Effectiveness
To assess the effectiveness of Risk-ATTEND, Toyota used various evaluation methods, including eye-tracking glasses to monitor participants' gaze patterns and attention to potential hazards.
"We proved it in the driving simulator by looking at the hazard anticipation forecast skills, which is calculated by various factors," says Hallman. "For example, the gaze where their eyes are looking. We also know that the number of full stops at stop signs increased after training."
Real-World Scenarios for Enhanced Learning
The training program utilizes 13 driving scenarios that are common but often difficult to anticipate, providing teens with the opportunity to practice identifying and responding to potential risks in a safe, virtual environment.
"This is something hard to learn in the real world," says Sun. "To learn that from a natural perspective may take months and it could be after licensure for one year. If you're driving in a suburban or rural environment, you probably have never seen that. So that's very meaningful to anticipate where the risk would be and what could be blocking your sight and what could be in your blind spot."
Engaging and Educational
Risk-ATTEND is designed to be both engaging and educational, providing an interactive learning experience that resonates with teen drivers.
"Interactives and self-paced modules meet today's students where they are, increase engagement and help with retention of critical information," says Amy Nakamoto, executive vice president of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. "It is my hope that every novice teen driver takes the module and increases their ability to spot and avoid hazards."
A Collaborative Effort for Safer Roads
Risk-ATTEND is a collaborative effort between Toyota, UMass Amherst, and Discovery Education, demonstrating a shared commitment to improving teen driver safety and reducing car crashes.
"Together, all three entities created a training program that they hope will help make teens better drivers and decrease the number of car crashes within this demographic," the press release states.