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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Driving reaction time before and after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Driving reaction time was studied in 73 patients under anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using a computer-linked automobile simulator. Each patient was tested pre-operatively and 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after surgery. Stepping and standing tests were studied at each time point. Twenty-five normal subjects were also tested as controls. Pre-operative test results did not differ significantly between groups on any of the tests. Post-operatively it took 6 weeks for driving reaction time of the right ACL group to be equivalent to that of the controls, compared to 2 weeks in the left ACL group. There was a strong correlation between the stepping and standing tests and the driving reaction time; this made them good clinical tests to monitor patients' progress and to suggest the appropriate time to resume driving.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Automobile driving fitness of patients with nystagmus].

BACKGROUND: By law, applicants for driver's licenses not only have to have sufficient vision, but also have to use this sight reliably. The nystagmus patient takes advantage of ocularly induced head turns and other forms of compensation. In the approved test procedures he is deprived of such compensations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The eye movements of a nystagmus patient were recorded oculographically. He was allowed to use compensatory mechanisms of body posture and movement for stabilization of vision. RESULTS: The nystagmus patient can achieve better visual performance when he is allowed to utilize complex segmental body movements for stabilization of vision. CONCLUSIONS: It is proposed that test procedures for visual performance in traffic be altered as follows: nystagmus and abnormal head postures are admittable if sufficient binocular vision is achieved. The test may use illustrations of traffic situations containing relevant details such as traffic signs. These are to be understood by the test person on triplicate presentation.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Driving after cerebral ischemia--a driving simulator investigation.

UNLABELLED: Stroke patients with relevant deficits are not allowed to drive. This study tended to assess driving abilities in an early stage after cerebral ischemia with a driving simulator. METHODS: 32 patients (aged 54.9 +/- 14.8 years) with acute ischemia in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) (n = 24) and in the vertebral artery (VA) (n = 8) were investigated with reaction tests and a driving simulator. Controls were 12 healthy volunteers (aged 50.0 +/- 13.9 years). RESULTS: Compared to controls, the accident rate was increased only in patients with MCA-ischemia (2.9 +/- 3.6 vs. 1.3 +/- 1.4, p < 0.05). These patients also had poorer results in the driving simulator (p < 0.05) than patients with VA-ischemia. Driving simulator performance and neuropsychological test results did not correlate. CONCLUSION: All patients had only mild deficits and stated themselves able to drive. We could demonstrate the need to focus on driving skills especially in patients with MCA-infarctions. The driving simulator assesses various physical and neuropsychological functions influencing driving. It may especially be used for expert opinions regarding driving licence. It can also serve as a pre-driver evaluation before on road driving tests.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1986

High school driver education: further evaluation of the DeKalb County study.

The DeKalb County, Georgia, study is the largest experimental evaluation of high school driver education to date. Detailed reanalyses of data from that study reveal that students assigned to an enhanced driver education program (Safe Performance Curriculum) were more likely to obtain drivers licenses, to be in car crashes and to have traffic violations than control students not assigned to driver education. Students assigned to a minimal program of high school driver education (Pre-Driver Licensing Curriculum) were also more likely than control students to obtain licenses, but the difference was smaller than for the enhanced program and they were not significantly more likely to be in crashes or to have violations. Students in the more limited course were less likely than those in the enhanced course to complete the course in a timely manner, which suggests that exposure differences may explain differences between the two groups. The results confirm that greater availability of driver education causes students to become licensed sooner, although the DeKalb study probably underestimates the effect. Because of this greater exposure, crashes and violations are incurred at an earlier age.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1995

Prediction of police officers' traffic accident involvement using behavioral observations.

The current study used scores on the Driver Performance Measurement (DPM) test and data gathered over four years on accident type and frequency from 47 police officers to provide evidence that cognitive-behavioral observations of driving patterns can lead to predictions of subsequent accident involvement. Results indicate that after controlling for age and experience, scores on the DPM test predicted involvement in preventable accidents but not unpreventable accidents. Implications for future research involving the observation of cognitive-behavioral sequences are discussed.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1995

Some implications of driver training for road accidents in Gaborone.

In many African countries, including Botswana, the driving schools and instruction given to pupils are uncontrolled. Thus, this paper presents the results of an investigation into the level of professional training offered by the driving schools in Gaborone. A total of 400 randomly selected drivers completed questionnaires on their training, accident records, and L-tests. Male trainee drivers received more instruction than females, and there was some indication that the pass rate on L-tests was lower for female drivers. Also, the pickup van forms the majority of the national vehicle population. It accounts for almost 40% of the accidents but is presently not used for training in the commercial driving schools. It is concluded that the quality of professional instruction in driving schools needs improvement so that learners can be encouraged to take training from these institutes.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1996

Differences in young driver crash involvement in states with varying licensure practices.

Teenage driver licensing practices and the crashes of teenagers were compared in several states with differing laws and policies regarding licensure. High school seniors in Delaware, a state with laws that allow early driving and licensure, reported that they first drove on a public road, obtained a learner's permit and obtained a driver's license at younger ages than high school seniors in other northeastern states (Connecticut, New Jersey and upstate New York). State crash data indicated that Delaware and Connecticut, which allow unrestricted licensing at age 16, showed the highest rates of 16-year-old driver involvements in nonfatal and fatal injury crashes. Pennsylvania and upstate New York, which have night driving curfews for 16 year-olds, showed lower crash rates overall and much lower crash rates during their respective curfew hours. New Jersey and Nassau and Suffolk counties, where unsupervised driving by 16 year-olds is generally not allowed, showed the lowest crash rates for 16 year-olds. Graduated licensing programs that include delayed full-privilege licensure, night driving curfews, and extended periods of supervised practice driving are a possible countermeasure for the high motor vehicle crash rates of young drivers.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1996

Young drivers' overestimation of their own skill--an experiment on the relation between training strategy and skill.

Young drivers' accident involvement may be explained by a number of different factors, one of which is that they tend to overestimate their skill in driving a car. This study is based upon the assumption that the degree of overestimation is related to the type of training the driver has received. In an experiment, two different strategies for training have been compared with regard to their influence on estimated and actual driving skill, as well as the drivers' degree of overestimation of their own skill. One of the strategies, used in the "skill" group was to make the learner as skilled as possible in handling a braking and avoidance manoeuvre in a critical situation. The other strategy, used in the "insight" group was to make the driver aware of the fact that his own skill in braking and avoidance in critical situations may be limited and unpredictable. The experiment was carried out at the Bromma driving practice area in Stockholm. Low friction has been simulated by using "Skid Car" equipment. Fifty-three learner drivers were randomly divided into two groups. Each of the groups was taught on the basis of one of the strategies. The training session was 30 minutes long. One week later, the drivers returned to take part in a test of their estimated and actual skill. The "skill" group estimated their skill higher than the "insight" group. No difference was found between the groups regarding their actual skill. The results confirm the main hypothesis that the skill training strategy produces more false overestimation than the insight training strategy.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1996

Evaluation of California's commercial driver license program.

This study evaluated the traffic-safety impact of the California Department of Motor Vehicles' Commercial Driver License (CDL) program. The program, initiated on 1 January 1989, began a new commercial-license classification and endorsement system, implemented stronger licensing standards and more comprehensive tests of knowledge and driving competency, required drivers to report specific violations to employers, and provided for more stringent post-licensing sanctions on negligent operators. The effect of the program on fatal and fatal/injury accidents involving heavy vehicles operated by drivers licensed in California was assessed using intervention time-series analysis. The results indicate that the CDL program did not have a statistically significant effect on either accident measure.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1992

Physicians, elderly drivers, and dementia.

In western countries, the proportion of drivers who are elderly is increasing rapidly; over a quarter of the driving population will be 55 years of age or older by the year 2000. Although elderly drivers tend to drive less and may avoid night driving, the number of car accidents and the severity of injuries sustained in such accidents by distance driven increases strikingly after the age of 65. But how can doctors identify those elderly drivers who are a danger to themselves and others? And, once they are identified, how should clinicians balance the effects of removing a driving licence, which may greatly affect a patient's lifestyle, against public safety and breach of confidentiality if the patient refuses to give up his or her licence voluntarily? Medical decisions about illnesses that predispose to loss of consciousness are fairly clear-cut, but normal ageing processes and dementia can be much more difficult to identify and to assess; moreover, there seems little correlation between tests of mental performance and driving ability. Comparisons between practices in different countries may provide some answers, but the introduction of modified driving tests for elderly drivers with some evidence of mild impairment but who wish to retain their driving licence should be considered.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1993

Methadone-substitution and driving ability.

A general statement about the driving ability of HIV-positive as well as HIV-negative addicts undergoing methadone-substitution treatment cannot be made with certainty. Even isolated observations are not significant; only an individually performed assessment, free of prejudice and conscientiously done is decisive. The formal assertion that addiction equals driving-inability, which is largely practised at present, is inadmissible and therefore harmful to the therapeutic efforts for rehabilitation.

Austria↗
PubMed2006

Effective dialogues in driver education.

The Norwegian driver education programme is extensive, systematic and comprehensive. The syllabus intentions have high expectations for pupil learning, and in the learning situation the ability of teachers to utilise dialogue as an effective learning tool is put to the test. Over a 5-year period we have studied learning situations in all areas of the Norwegian driver education programme. In this article we present findings based on observations of teacher-pupil interaction during on-road practice and discuss how teachers may form the dialogue into an effective learning tool in order to tap the learning potential that is embedded in driver education programmes. The education of responsible drivers requires that teacher-pupil dialogues bring about a shared understanding of a full traffic context during on-road practice. It becomes evident that different teacher supportive approaches pave the way to 'intersubjectivity' of occurring traffic contexts in qualitatively different ways. Teachers use both 'clarifying' and 'elaborative' processes to prepare the learner for responsible driving. The establishment of a mutual understanding is a continuous dialogical process in which concepts become mediating tools. How the two conceptual worlds of teacher and learner merge makes a basic level for subsequent scaffolding processes during on-road practice.

Automobile Driver Examination↗
PubMed2007

The acceptability to older drivers of different types of licensing restriction.

The primary objective of this study was to determine the acceptability of various driving restrictions to older drivers. Licensed drivers aged 65 years or more living in the community in the Ottawa, Ontario area were recruited by means of posters and advertisements in regional and local newspapers. We recruited 86 subjects, 56 men and 30 women with a mean age of 75 years (50 urban and 36 rural residents). The subjects completed a one-hour interview with one of two trained study nurses during which their driving restriction preferences (utilities) were determined using a modified standard gamble technique. Highly endorsed restrictions included regular assessment by the Ministry of Transportation (mean utility 0.94), driving with vehicle adaptations (0.94) and daytime driving only (0.93). Less acceptable restrictions included avoidance of roads with a speed limit greater than 60 km/h (0.50), limitation of destinations (0.45), driving only within a 10-km radius of home (0.45) and requirement of another licensed driver in the vehicle (0.42). Our subjects' preferences appeared to be inversely related to the impact on autonomy and the ability to access the community. These findings may be useful to motor transport administrators in designing effective restricted licensing programs that are acceptable to older drivers.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

The validity of a road test after stroke.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the validity of a road test performed by stroke patients in Belgium and to reestablish its reliability. DESIGN: Prospective study of a predriving evaluation. SETTING: University hospital in Belgium. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-eight patients with sequelae of first-ever stroke. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Performance in the Stroke Driver Screening Assessment (SDSA) and on a road test. RESULTS: Interrater reliability of the road test subitems was moderate to substantial (weighted kappa range, .44-.78). Item-per-item reliability varied from moderately high (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=.63) to very high (ICC=.87). The reliability of the overall performance in the road test was very high (ICC=.83). For the criterion validity of the road test, 78.9% of the subjects were correctly classified when the judgments of the principal evaluator were compared with outcomes of the SDSA. Agreement in classification between the principal evaluator and a state-registered evaluator's judgments was 81.6%. The sensitivity and specificity of the agreement were very high (80.6%) and perfect (100%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The road test is a reliable and valid test of driving ability after stroke.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Driving strategies used by older adults with macular degeneration: assessing the risks.

Older adults with macular degeneration use multiple driving strategies. A secondary analysis focused on driving strategies was conducted on data from two studies that had explored the experience of visual impairment in older adults diagnosed with macular degeneration. Findings revealed 24 driving strategies. Twelve categories emerged, reflecting two themes: (1) strategies used while performing the task of driving and (2) strategies used to continue driving. By understanding these strategies, nurses can assess the conditions under which these older adults drive and the risks taken. Findings guide nurses to counsel and educate older adults regarding driving.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2006

Driving fear and driving skills: comparison between fearful and control samples using standardised on-road assessment.

The present study explores driving skills in a group of 50 media-recruited driving-fearful and 50 control drivers, all of whom were women. Participants completed an on-road practical driving assessment with a professional driving instructor. Diagnostic as well as pre-post self-report and instructor driving assessments were conducted. Fearful drivers made more errors on the driving assessment than controls. However, the pattern of errors was identical for both groups, indicating that fear and anxiety may be associated with the number rather than the type of driving errors made. These differences remained when factors such as driving history, current driving frequency, and diagnosis were controlled using case selection. More research is needed to replicate the findings in more diverse samples. Additional work should also aim to clarify the specific role of driving skills in driving fear, which will facilitate treatment planning for exposure-based treatments and help identify cases where driving skills assessment may be appropriate.

Accidents, Traffic↗