How could we help older drivers to increase their driving performance? Comment pourrions-nous aider les conducteurs âgés à améliorer leur performance au volant? Martin Lavallière, Martin Simoneau, Normand Teasdale, Denis Laurendeau Université Laval N.B. Il est interdit de reproduire ce document en tout ou en partie. Si vous voulez utiliser certaines des diapositives pour vos présentations, cours ou autres, veuillez contacter Martin Lavallière, martin.lavalliere.1@ulaval.ca Merci Please do not reproduce without author s permission Thanks 2 1
Traffic safety Drivers over 50 y.o. represent the fastest growing segment of the driving population In Canada, there is : 71% of people ages 65 69 hold a driver s license 23% of people age 85 hold a driver s license Transport Canada, 2003 It is expected that the number of drivers aged over 65 will reach up to 1,5 million in 2030. SAAQ Driver license autonomy 3 Collisions and crashes Involvement of older drivers in collisions Mostly occured at intersections and when a yield of way is required Increased risk of death for a same collision when compared to younger drivers 4 2
Identify at risk drivers Performance on various visual tests (static and dynamic acuity, useful field-of-view, contrast sensitivity...) are not strong predictors of driving performance. Ball et al., 1997 Owsley et al., 1991 Predicting Driving Performance in Older Adults: We Are Not There Yet! Bédardet al., 2008 5 Driving classes Driving retraining classes may offer an opportunity to attenuate some of the aging manifestation that may alter driving skills. Unfortunately, there are suggestions that classroom programs do not allow to improve the driving performance of older drivers. The example of 55 alive (55 au volant) 6 3
Why is it hard to change driving behaviors? Self-evaluation of driving skills Awareness of performance decrements Horrey, Lesch and Gabaret, 2008 Older drivers Holland and Rabbit, 1992, 1994 The one thing that unites all human beings is that deep down inside, we all believe that we are above average drivers. Barry.1998.p.182 Transfer appropriate practice Lee, 1988 7 Visual searchbeforelane change in a driving simulator 35 % 2010-09-10 Rencontre à la SAAQ 8 4
When is the blind spot verified? Aim and objectives To evaluateif specific simulator training sessions with video-based feedback can modify on-road behaviors of older drivers 10 5
Feedback Group (n=10) Control Group (n=12) No Feedback on-road + in-simulator evaluation Training in-simulator + Driver refresher course Driving in-simulator + Driver refresher course No Feedback on-road + in-simulator evaluation 11 Driver s information 15 men and 7 women Control: 8 men and 4 women Feedback: 7 men and 3 women Mean age Control, mean 69.3 years old Feedback, mean 72.1 years old All were healthy, active and regular drivers 12 6
Instrumented car Caméras environnement Caméras conducteur GPS 2010-09-10 Rencontre à la SAAQ 13 Driving simulator 3 1 2 2010-09-10 Rencontre à la SAAQ 14 7
SPEED CAMERAS GPS Flags and events 16 8
Simulator sessions (n = 3) -Driving only(control group) -Feedbacks (Training group) Visual search Checking Blind spots Use of Mirrors Temporal sequence Identifying at-risk location Drivingbehavior Respect speed limit Priority at intersection Lateralposition of the car 17 L angle mort Coup d œil rapide au dessus de l épaule pour voir ce qui se passe dans la voie adjacente Ne pas circuler longtemps dans l angle mort des autres véhicules. 18 9
Turning maneuver MTO.GOUV.ON.CA 19 Modification of visual search behavior 20 10
Blind spot verification 21 Results 22 11
Is it a functionnal limitation? 70 65 Con trol g ro up Feed back group A ng le (deg ree) 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 Left Head rotation Right 23 Discussion Transfer to on-road driving performance Feedback vs Control The use of drivingsimulator Safe environment Allow various type of training Older drivers can learn 24 12
Follow-up evaluation A retention evaluation 2 years follow-up Participants fromthe feedback group mentionnedthattheyare nowmore awareof their driving behaviors Preliminary analysis on their way 25 MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ROAD SAFETY Questions martin.lavalliere.1@ulaval.ca Remerciements / Acknowledgements Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ)(doctorate scholarship) 26 13