OBJECTIVE Distracted driving is a known contributor to traffic accidents, and many states have banned texting while driving. However, little is known about the potential accident risk of other common activities while driving, such as eating. The objective of the current study was to examine the adverse impact of eating/drinking behavior relative to texting and nondistracted behaviors on a simul...

PURPOSE Driving is a complex behavior that requires the utilization of a wide range of individual abilities. Identifying assessments that not only capture individual differences, but also are related to older adults' driving performance would be beneficial. This investigation examines the relationship between the Useful Field of View (UFOV) assessment and objective measures of retrospective or ...

It is important to examine changes in driving performance and driver behavior with increasing age improve road safety. The main purpose of this study was explore if there were any differences a group young drivers ( n = 36, M 32) elderly 40, 72) on skills number tasks. An on-road test conducted using fixed 25-km route lasting approximately 30 minutes. Expert examiners assessed the participants’...

OBJECTIVE To find an association between cognitive-perceptual problems of older drivers and unsafe driving performance during simulated automobile driving in a virtual environment. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING A driver evaluation clinic in a rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS Fifty-five drivers aged 65 years or older and 48 drivers in their late twenties to early forties. ME...

BACKGROUND Cognitive impairment is prevalent in older adults with heart failure (HF) and associated with reduced functional independence. HF patients appear at risk for reduced driving ability, as past work in other medical samples has shown cognitive dysfunction to be an important contributor to driving performance. The current study examined whether cognitive dysfunction was independently ass...

AIMS To examine the effects of pupil dilatation on driving performance and determine whether this was related to changes in standard measures of visual function. METHODS The driving and vision performance of 16 young, visually normal participants was measured with both normal and dilated pupils. Pupils were dilated with 1% tropicamide. Driving performance was measured under daytime conditions...

Complex traffic situations and high driving workload are the leading contributing factors to traffic crashes. There is a strong correlation between driving performance and driving workload, such as visual workload from traffic signs on highway off-ramps. This study aimed to evaluate traffic safety by analyzing drivers' behavior and performance under the cognitive workload in complex environment...

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of antidepressants on driving performance from a different methodological viewpoint in light of the recent traffic accidents. METHODS In this double-blinded, 3-way crossover trial, 17 healthy males received acute doses of 10 mg paroxetine, 25 mg amitriptyline, and placebo. The subjects were administered three driving tasks--road tracking, car following, and har...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the effect of visual field defects on driving performance, and to predict practical fitness to drive. METHODS The driving performance of 87 subjects with visual field defects due to ocular abnormalities was assessed on a driving simulator and during an on-road driving test. OUTCOME MEASURES The final score on the on-road driving test and simulator indexes, such as ...