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				Be guided by research themes
					Guard against promoting optimism Psychologists who study the relationship between thinking styles and behaviour have discovered that people who think optimistically behave differently to those who think pessimistically. Optimists have a positive thinking style that leads them to believe they are in control of their lives. In their view, positive events are more likely to occur to them than to others and they are less likely to encounter negative events than are their peers. When optimists do experience negative events, they brush them aside. They see failure as a temporary setback, most likely caused by bad luck or unfortunate circumstances. Optimists do not take things personally - a failure is just one incident, and does not represent their overall ability. It is not worthy of prolonged reflection. Even after failure, optimists still feel able to avoid negative events. Optimists take more risks It is argued that because of their thinking habits, optimists are happier than pessimists and make much better progress towards achieving their goals. They have a strong sense of control and a disregard for failure. They tend to take more risks. Unrealistic optimism in high-risk activities is potentially dangerous. People who have an exaggerated sense of control - who are unrealistically optimistic - tend to be less cautious than those who have more realistic views. There are links between unrealistic optimism and risk-taking in driving. Unrealistic optimism is common in drivers. It is well recognised that many average drivers consider themselves to have above-average skill, and to be less likely to be involved in a crash event than their peers.
					Research has found that some driver training programs can actually increase drivers' chance of crashing.				Resource
					This may be because driver training promotes an exaggerated sense of control, with trainees coming away feeling more confident about their ability to drive. This is why the standard does not include criteria covering skid control. Optimism can be fed in subtle ways. Driving instructors should be on the alert for any information or experience that could cause trainees to think their ability is greater than it actually is. Some researchers of driver behaviour suggest drivers should be trained to perceive that they have less control than they actually do! Training advice Be aware that some of the things you say or do, as a normal part of your training, may in fact cause your trainees to become unrealistically optimistic about their driving. The following is a useful guide. Have well thought through reasons for any activity you conduct that includes advanced control skills. Exercise the utmost caution when you demonstrate control skills. Don't make higher order skills look or sound easy. Never show off. Discuss the potential consequences of errors that trainees make. Do not play down or joke about mistakes or poor performance. Avoid comments that imply that a trainee's ability is above average. When a trainee has demonstrated satisfactory performance, acknowledge that they have met the standard and move on. Treat with caution the adult learning principle of over-learning. Avoid implying that a trainee has mastered difficult or complex skills. Reward cautious behaviour: do not play down the trainee's concerns about safety. Avoid steadily and systematically boosting trainees' confidence beyond the point when they demonstrate satisfactory performance. Avoid stereotyping or making derogatory remarks about other drivers. The more critical drivers become of others, the more they tend to elevate themselves above others. Train your trainees to recognise their own failures and give themselves constructive feedback. Ask them always to rate their behaviour against the standard rather than comparing themselves to 'average drivers'. Make a point of talking about your own errors with trainees. At the end of training courses, emphasise the point that most learning occurs after training. Trainees should not think that they have mastered skills during training. Elements in the standard that are most relevant to this theme are: Cooperates with other road users Moderates driving when it is hard to see Moderates driving for adverse road surfaces Drives in a manner that reflects valuing of life and property Reviews and adjusts driving Maintains mechanical and physical reserves				Resource
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