Inhibitory Control and Reward Predict Risky Driving in Young Novice Drivers – A Simulator Study

The purpose of our study is to unravel the cognitive mechanisms that underlie risky driving in young novice drivers. We hypothesized that lower capacity for cognitive control and rewards predict risky driving and constitute its cognitive basis. Inhibitory control was measured with the stop signal reaction time (SSRT) task. Measures of risky driving included: standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP), speeding, and red light running. We found that: (1) inhibitory control is still developing within the young driver population; (2) lowered inhibitory control had a driving specific effect: young drivers with lower SSRT had a higher SDLP; (3) a rewarding context predicts risky driving.