A pilot study of adolescent driving skills: testing ADRIS 2.1 simulator

Adolescents are at a developmental stage where cognitive and motor functions are still maturing, making driving a particularly demanding task. The ability to assess their driving skills in a controlled, replicable environment is essential for understanding risk factors and developing targeted training strategies. This study evaluates ADRIS 2.1, an open-source driving simulator designed to assess driving performance of adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, focusing on key behavioural and cognitive metrics. Fourteen neurotypical adolescents (ages 14-19) completed simulated driving scenarios incorporating neutral, congruent, and incongruent obstacles, while performance indicators such as speed control, safety distance adherence, and infraction rates were recorded. Preliminary results reveal that infractions decreased with practice, particularly wrong-direction violations, suggesting a learning effect. The type of obstacle influenced driving behaviour, with congruent and incongruent obstacles leading to more safety distance and speed violations than neutral obstacles. Correlation analysis showed that age negatively correlated with number of infractions and collisions. Subjective feedback from questionnaires confirmed high usability and minimal discomfort, supporting ADRIS 2.1 as a useful tool for adolescent driving assessment.