Validation of in-car observations, a method for driver assessment

An in-car observation method with human observers in the car was studied to establish whether observers could be trained to observe safety variables and register driver's behaviour in a correct and coherent way, and whether the drivers drove in their normal driving style, despite the presence of the observers. The study further discussed the observed variables from a safety perspective. First three observers were trained in the observation method and on-road observations were carried out. Their observations were then compared with a key representing a correct observation. After practising the observation method the observers showed a high correlation with the key. To establish whether the test drivers drove in a normal way during the in-car observations, comparisons of 238 spot-speed measurements were carried out. Driver's speeds when driving their own private cars were compared with their speeds during the in-car observations. The analysis showed that the drivers drove in the same way when being observed as they did normally. Most of the variables studied in the in-car observations had a well documented relevance to traffic safety. Overall, in-car observation was shown to be a reliable and valid method to observe driver behaviour, and observed changes provide relevant data on traffic safety. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.