729 research outputs found
Sort by
Predictors of Driving in Individuals with Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
No full textEvaluations on fitness-to-drive of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) usually involve the administration of several physical, visual, and cognitive tests. In some instances, a practical road test is also administered. The use of several tests, many of which are only remotely driving-related, increases the time, cost, and human resources involved in the evaluation process, and sometimes lead to erroneous decisions. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of using a short battery of a few highly predictive tests to predict fitness-to-drive of individuals with MS. Fortyfour individuals with relapsing–remitting MS (age = 46 ± 11 years, 37 females) and Expanded Disability Status Scale values between 1 and 7 were administered selected physical, visual and cognitive tests including the Stroke Driver Screening Assessment (SDSA) battery. Performance on 12 cognitive and three visual tests were significantly associated with participants’ performance on a practical road test. The Stroop Color test, Direction, Compass, and Road Sign Recognition tests from the SDSA, and the Speed of Processing test from Useful Field of View test battery together explained 59% of the variance and predicted the pass or fail outcome on the road test with 91% accuracy, 70% sensitivity, and 97% specificity. The five psychometric/off-road tests, which together can be administered in less than 45 minutes, cost approximately $150, and is 91% accurate, can be used as a screening battery. Those who pass should be further tested on-road to finally decide their fitness-to-drive while those of fail should be further evaluated, trained, or advised on alternative transportation means. Future studies are needed to confirm and validate the findings in this study
Shifting Between Cognitive and Visual Distraction: The Impact of Cognitive Ability on Distraction Caused by Secondary Tasks
No full textWe conducted an experiment in order to investigate impacts of centralexecutive (CE) functions and modality of secondary task presentation in a dualtaskexperiment. We found that shifting ability, out of three major CE functions(inhibition, shifting, and updating) was particularly important in determiningwhether primary (pedal-tracking) task performance was better in the presence ofauditory, vs. visual, presentation of the secondary task
Design of Effective Feedback: Understanding Driver, Feedback, and Their Interaction
No full textRisky driving behaviors such as speeding, close car following and engaging in non-driving related secondary tasks are commonly observed and may increase crash risks. Providing effective feedback to drivers of their risky behaviors may decrease the likelihood of hazardous situations, thereby reducing crashes or crash severity. However, inappropriate feedback could lead to distraction and/or added workload to the driver, resulting in undesirable effects on road safety. Successful design of effective feedback builds on a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of the driver, the feedback, and their interaction. As a first step to this approach, we summarize literature and propose a cognitive model of driver-feedback interaction. This model considers characteristics of the driver and the feedback, and illustrates three feedback loops through which feedback can influence the driver. Although still at a preliminary stage, the model provides a framework for future feedback design and empirical investigations
The Development of a Cognitive Skills Training to Support Driver Education – Comparing Performance of Experienced and Trained Learner Drivers
No full textDeficits in cognitive skills such as hazard perception are considered one of the major factors explaining the high numbers of crashes for novice drivers. Computer based trainings (CBTs) have been identified as a potential measure to improve such skills. Several CBTs have been developed since. Some of them have been evaluated, however, only by comparing a treatment group and a control group. While results show that the evaluated CBTs are somewhat effective, it is unclear how an experienced driver would have performed in the test scenarios. We developed our own CBT, and in a first step, evaluated it following the same known strategy (treatment and control group, adding a “paper based training group). Results provided evidence for the assumption that the CBT had a positive effect on learner drivers’ glance behaviour in simulated driving (Petzoldt et al., 2013). However, after we confirmed the effectiveness, we tested a group of experienced drivers on exactly the same simulator scenarios. The comparison between treatment, control and experienced driver group is presented in this paper. Results show comparable patterns of glance behaviour for the treatment group and the experienced drivers, superior to that of the control group. Driving performance rated by experts was mostly appropriate for all groups, with notable exceptions for some scenarios
Using a Layered Algorithm to Detect Driver Cognitive Distraction
No full textDetection of cognitive distraction presents an indispensable function for driver distraction mitigation systems. In this study, we developed a layered algorithm that integrated two data mining methods—Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) and supervised clustering method—to identify cognitive distraction from drivers’ eye movements and driving performance measures. We used the data collected in a simulator study to compare the layered algorithm with the original DBN and found that the layered algorithm obtained comparable prediction performance as the original DBN. Meanwhile, the layered algorithm shortened training and prediction time and revealed rich information on the relationship between driver cognitive state and performance. This study demonstrates that data mining methods are suitable to identify human cognitive state from performance
Improving Restraint Feasibility through Ambulance Layout Redesign
No full textThis study examined the duties performed by emergency medical service workers with the goal of increasing the time EMS workers are restrained while providing patient care during transport. An optimal layout of equipment and materials in the rear patient cabin of an ambulance was created increase seatbelt restraint feasibility for working medics. Over 13,000 EMS agency call logs were evaluated to identify medical procedures frequently performed during patient transports, which were then filmed and analyzed using Pareto and link analysis to measure restraint feasibility. An alternative ambulance layout was developed following focus group meetings, and the adjusted tasks restraint feasibilities were calculated for the alternative layout. Restraint feasibility was significantly increased for the 5th percentile female, 50th percentile male, and 95th percentile male anthropometric populations. The proposed patient compartment design increased overall restraint feasibility from 47 percent to 90 percent. The proposed design would increase safety for medics and patients during patient transports by increasing the number of tasks that could be performed from a belted and seated position
Inhibitory Control and Peer Passengers Predict Risky Driving in Young Novice Drivers - A Simulator Study
No full textThis driving simulator study aimed to investigate (1) effects of peer passengers on a variety of risky driving measures, and (2) moderating effects of inhibitory control on these peer passenger effects. Two age groups (n = 30, 17-18 year-olds; n = 20, 21-24 year-olds) participated. Each participant completed two 28km test-drives in a medium-fidelity driving simulator. In the first drive, participants were asked to drive as they normally do. In the second drive, participants again were asked to drive as they normally do, now in the presence of a peer passenger. Measures of risky driving were: standard deviation of lateral lane position (SDLP), collisions with road hazards, speeding, and red light running. The results showed: (1) that peer presence can have negative (‘risk increasing’) but also positive (‘protective’) effects on driving performance, depending on the specific driving measure: whereas red light running increased, the number of collisions and SDLP decreased with peer passengers; (2) a moderating effect of inhibitory control on the peer passenger effect of speeding as (a) in a sub-group with low inhibitory control an increase in speeding occurred with peers, while (b) in a sub-group with high inhibitory control there was no effect of peers on speeding. This suggests that those with higher inhibitory control are more successful in resisting peer pressure
On-Road Evaluation of Driver Capability: A Medical Record Review of the Adaptive Driving Program
No full texta) The purpose of the present study was to illustrate how driver capability could be measured based on the presence of assistance during on-road evaluation. As an objective, this study explored the potential of a new method to measure declines in driver independence (steering/braking assistance) and safety (driving cues) for driver fitness determinations. b) A study at the Adaptive Driving Program (ADP) was conducted through a medical record review of 132 clients served in 2009. Following creation of an enumerated list of unique errors committed in baseline driving sessions, follow-up analysis focused on the association between assistance during on-road evaluation and case outcomes. The analysis also involved associations between assistance and five classes of errors reported among all clients. c) Findings showed that the proposed measures of driver independence and safety were associated with 90% of clients that did not pass on-road evaluation and a majority of errors related to tracking vehicle position within a lane. Though documented assistance showed low association to four out of five classes of errors, the potential for detection of these assistedevents may be 60-80% of all errors in each class except for lane changes
A Preliminary Assessment of Perceived and Objectively Scaled Workload of a Voice-Based Driver Interface
No full textInteraction with a voice-command interface for radio control, destination entry, MP3 song selection, and phone dialing was assessed along with traditional manual radio control and a multi-level audio–verbal calibration task (nback) on-road in 60 drivers. Subjective workload, compensatory behavior, and physiological indices of cognitive workload suggest that there may be both potential benefits and cautions in the implementation of a representative production level interface
Does Personality Influence Engagement in Mobile ‘Phone Tasks?
No full textDrivers’ propensity to engage in a telephone conversation and text messaging was observed in a driving simulator study and compared to self-reported engagement in such tasks in the real world. As sensation seeking has been linked to unsafe driving behaviours and self-reported driving violations, drivers were preselected for the study using the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking. In general, drivers’ observed engagement with their mobile phone was not as high in the driving simulator as their self-reported declarations. Some differences were found between the high and low sensation seekers, with more phone calls executed by the high sensation seekers and more text messages performed by the low sensation seekers. Self-report results showed higher engagement in hands-held conversations and text messaging by high sensation seekers