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Predicting Driving Performance in Older Adults with the Useful Field of View Test: A Meta-Analysis
Get PDFThis investigation examines the Useful Field of View (specifically theUFOV® test), as a predictor of objective measures of driving performance.PubMed and PsycInfo databases were searched to retrieve eight independentstudies reporting bivariate relationships between the UFOV® test and drivingmeasures (driving simulator performance, state-recorded crashes, and on-roaddriving). Cumulative meta-analysis techniques were used to examine thepredictive utility of the test, to determine whether the effect size was stable acrossstudies, and to assess whether a sufficient number of studies have been conductedto conclude that the test is an effective predictor of driving competence. Resultsshowed that the study samples could have been drawn from the same population.The weighted mean effect size across all studies revealed a large effect, Cohen’sd=0.945, with poorer UFOV® test performance associated with negative drivingoutcomes. This relationship was robust across multiple indices of drivingperformance and several research laboratories. A concrete measure of sufficiencyrevealed that an additional 513 studies averaging a null result must be conductedto bring the p-value for the cumulative effect size to greater than .05. Thisconvergence of evidence across different points in time and different researchteams confirms the importance of the UFOV® assessment as a valid and reliableindex of driving performance and safety. Corroborating this finding, a recent largefield study in Maryland has further established the UFOV® test as a usefulscreening instrument to identify at-risk older drivers. Taken together, thesefindings could have far-reaching implications for public policy
The Use of a Driving Simulator to Assess Senior Driver Performance: Increasing Situational Awareness Through Post-Drive One-on-One Advisement
Get PDFOlder drivers are over-represented in angled impact crashes and experience a higher fatality rate than their younger counterparts. Due to the gradual deterioration of the senses, diminished cognitive processing capabilities and decreased mobility and flexibility, it is more difficult for older drivers to gather and process information about their environment. This can lead older drivers to incorrectly perceive their driving environment as safe, when in reality it is not. The current study investigates whether post-drive feedback following a simulated drive can effectively change older drivers’ attitudes about their own driving ability and influence them to incorporate additional compensatory behaviors into their day-to-day driving
Can Sea Bands ® Be Used to Mitigate Simulator Sickness?
Get PDFA North American tier-one automotive supplier (TOAS) conducted a study in 2002 using a vehicle driving simulator to study simulator sickness. The goals of the study were twofold: (a) determine a screening process to identify those individuals who should be excluded from future simulator studies due to their susceptibility to simulator sickness and (b) explore a mitigation technique to lessen the severity of simulator sickness symptoms using the FDA-approved Sea Bands® acupressure wrist bands. The study revealed that prior experience with motion sickness is not necessarily a good predictor of who will become sick in a simulator, but one’s own perception of susceptibility to motion and simulator sicknesses may be a reliable predictor. It also revealed that the acupressure wrist bands may be an effective method for managing simulator sickness among older participants
Gender Differences in Predicting Unsafe Driving Behaviors in Young Adults
Get PDFPast research has uncovered personality influences on dangerous driving behavior and vehicle crashes (Furnham & Saipe, 1993; Matthews, Dorn, & Glendon, 1991). Recently, females between 16 and 20 years of age showed an increase in overall crash rate, while males within the same age group showed a decrease in overall crash rate (NHTSA, 2004; NHTSA, 2002). Adolescent and young adult females have become a critical cohort in the study of unsafe driving behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in risky driving behavior and personality influences on these behaviors. Data presented are first year cross-sectional results in a 5-year longitudinal study. Participants were 141 male and female drivers who completed the NEO PI-R, the DDDI and a driving behavior questionnaire. In addition, the driving record of each participant was obtained from the State Department of Transportation. Females reported a higher rate of traffic violations and crashes than males. No personality traits were significantly related to crashes, but Extroversion was positively related to total traffic violations within females. The DDDI scales were not significantly related to traffic violations or vehicle crashes, but gender differences were shown within the risky driving and aggressive driving scales. Gender differences were also shown in the relationship between personality traits and DDDI scales. This data indicates that researchers and insurance companies should make an effort to consider females in their work. In addition, this study provides preliminary data on gender differences in personality as it relates to risky driving behavior
Tracking Driver Eye Movements at Permissive Left-Turns
Get PDFThe objective of this analysis was to identify sources of informationused by left-turning drivers. To complete the experiment, a virtual network ofsignalized intersections was created for use in a driving simulator equipped withhead and eye tracking equipment. Fourteen drivers were recruited to participate inthe experiment, which included two independent variables (permissive signalindication and presence of opposing traffic). The primary dependent variable wasthe associated eye movements at permissive left-turns, including the magnitude oftime focused on each potential cue and the pattern in which cues were detected.To complete the analysis, eye movements were tracked and the screen wasdivided into “areas of interest,” which coincided with potential cues used in thecompletion of a permissive left turn. For each permissive scenario, drivers usedmore total cues when no opposing traffic was present. Specifically, in theabsence of opposing traffic, drivers fixated on a wider array of availableinformation. When opposing traffic was present, drivers spent a majority of timefocused on opposing traffic and would use this as a base point from which theywould glance at other data sources. Overall, drivers looked at least once at theprotected/permissive left-turn (PPLT) signal display and the opposing trafficstream. Drivers tended to scan the intersection from right to left, after initiallylocating the PPLT signal display and opposing traffic and/or stop bar area. Theresults of the eye movement analysis are consistent with data obtained in afollow-up static evaluation
A Meta-Analysis of Driving Performance and Crash Risk Associated with the Use of Cellular Telephones While Driving
Get PDFThis paper addresses the effects of cell phones on driving by means of a review of the literature and an analysis of scientifically credible epidemiological and driver performance studies. A total of 84 articles were obtained covering the period from 1969 to 2004. Sixty-eight articles were research papers measuring driving performance while using a cell phone and 16 articles were epidemiological studies that examined cell phone usage and their relationship to vehicular crashes. Epidemiological findings consistently showed an increase in crashes associated with use of cell phones. However, these studies did not control for exposure to cell phone use or to driving. The negative impact of cell phone usage is larger for responses to critical events than for vehicular control. Drivers responded about a quarter of a second later to stimuli in the presence of a cell phone distractor for all studies that were analyzed. Hands-free cell phones produced similar performance decrements to hand-held phones
The Development and Evaluation of a High Fidelity Simulator Training Program for Snowplow Operators
Get PDFWe report the results of a pilot training program incorporating highfidelity simulation developed for snowplow operators. Ratings of user acceptance of the training were very high, with drivers of all levels of experience indicating that the training helped them prepare for several issues critical to the safe and efficient operation of a snowplow. In the 6-month period following training, the odds of getting in an accident were lower for the group of drivers who received training compared with a matched control group who did not receive it. In addition, the data indicate that fuel efficiency was greater for the trained drivers than for the control group
Driver Distraction and Reliance: Adaptive Cruise Control in the Context of Sensor Reliability and Algorithm Limits
Get PDFThis study investigated how system failures influenced drivers’reliance on Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). A medium-fidelity driving simulatorwas used to evaluate the effect of driving condition (traffic, rain) and automation(manual control, ACC) on headway maintenance and brake response. Inconditions of rain, the signal continuity of the ACC sensors was degraded and inconditions of heavy traffic, the braking limits of the ACC system were exceeded.Dependent variables included response time to lead vehicle (LV) braking, numberof collisions, and both time headway (THW) and time-to-collision (TTC) atinstant of the brake response. Throughout the drive, a continuous (forced-paced)secondary task was introduced to determine how an in-vehicle task interactedwith ACC reliance. Results showed that the failure type influenced driver’sreliance on ACC with drivers relying more on ACC in traffic periods than in rainperiods. ACC appeared to offer a safety benefit when drivers were distracted withcomplex mental tasks in periods of heavy traffic
Gaze Behavior During Simulated Driving: Elements for a Visual Driving Aid
Get PDFAnalyses of optic flow due to observer self-motion and analyses ofthe driver’s gazing behavior during curve driving have suggested that the driverhas a tendency to look at a location close to the tangent point on the inside edge ofthe road. Psychophysical experiments have further demonstrated that this visualstrategy can be partly explained as an optimization of information pick-up. Themain objective of the present study was to investigate, in an interactive simulationcontext, if this perceptual strategy might be used to define a visual aid for curvedriving. In the framework of the French ARCOS project (Research action forsecure driving; www.arcos2004.com), we used a mini-simulator developed byINRETS (MSIS-CIR group) in collaboration with FAROS company, with twomain original characteristics: (1) during curve driving, the tangent point can becalculated and inserted in the visual scene in real-time and (2) a real-time eyerecordingsystem (EYELINK,® SMI) allows us to evaluate the relationshipsbetween driving performance, gaze direction and the on-line presentation of thetangent point
Got Info? Examining the Consequences of Inaccurate Information Systems
Get PDFIt is a desirable goal to balance information given to the user with the potential adverse effects on cognitive processing and perception of information systems. In this experiment, we investigated the minimum level of information accuracy necessary in an in-car information system to elicit positive behavioral and attitudinal responses from the driver. There were 60 participants, and each drove in a simulator for 25 minutes; driving performance data was automatically collected, and drivers later completed questionnaires for attitudinal data. Participants were divided into three groups of drivers: a group driving with a 100% accurate system, another driving with a 70% accurate system, and one group driving without an in-car system. There was a definite positive effect on driving performance with the in-car system, and results show that decreasing the accuracy of the system decreases both the driving performance and the trust of the in-car system. Data also indicates that female drivers have a higher tolerance of inaccuracies in an in-car system; design implications are discussed