ALCOHOL, AGING AND DRIVING PERFORMANCE

美国，像许多工业化社会一样，正在老龄化。 的平均值 美国正在增加，并将继续增加，在可预见的 未来 种种迹象表明，这一趋势至少将持续一段时间。 未来几十年。 一个特别值得关注的领域是驾驶， 手术需要各种身体和认知技能，许多 其中已知的是随着年龄的变化。 在我们的社会中， 没有一份文件比这份文件更受老年人的重视。 驾驶执照。 然而，人们对这种变化知之甚少。 老年人的驾驶性能，甚至更少有人知道有关 酒精与驾驶员的相互作用对驾驶性能的影响 衰老 越来越多的人认识到，酒精的使用越来越广泛， 比以前认识到的要老。 一些 以前归因于衰老过程本身的症状现在似乎 至少在一定程度上与这个年龄段的饮酒有关。 如何 酒精与衰老相互作用，影响驾驶性能， 未知 大多数州将0.10%BAC定义为醉酒的法律的定义 驾驶，部分原因是因为这个法律的定义，许多司机 相信在较低的高度驾驶是安全的。 但已知 这种损害发生在较低的层次，老年人可能更多地 受一定量酒精的影响。 也有一些建议 女性在低酒精水平下撞车的风险可能更高， 与男人相比。 此外，人们对酒精如何影响人体健康知之甚少。 与睡眠剥夺相互作用，影响驾驶性能。 是 众所周知，与酒精有关的撞车事故更有可能发生在 但饮酒和睡眠不足都比 可能会在这些时候发生。 该项目旨在调查 系统地了解与驾驶性能相关的一些关键因素， 测量低水平的酒精如何相互作用影响表现。 总的目标是研究酒精之间的相互关系 使用、老化和驾驶性能。 项目的具体目标 包括：1）确定低浓度酒精对驾驶的影响 作为年龄、性别和驾驶复杂性等的函数的性能 具体地说：a）确定血液中低水平 酒精改变特定驾驶技能作为年龄的函数; B）检查 酒精老化对驾驶相关技能的影响是如何变化的 c）测量酒精老化对驾驶相关的影响 技能随着驾驶复杂性的变化而变化; 2）评估 酒精老化对驾驶性能的影响是睡眠的函数 剥夺 这项研究的结果应该为以下方面提供有价值的信息： 向老年人提供关于饮酒和驾驶的咨询， 应澄清问题，以便进一步调查。

America, like much of industrialized society, is aging. The average of American is increasing and will continue to increase for the foreseeable future. There is every indication this trend will continue for at least the next several decades. One area of special concern is driving, an operation that requires a variety of physical and cognitive skills, many of which are known to change with age. In our society there is probably no document that is more highly valued by the older person than the license to drive. Yet, relatively little is known about the changing driving performance of older person, and even less is known concerning the effects on driving performance of the interaction of alcohol with aging. There is growing recognition that alcohol is more widely used in the older population than was previously recognized. Some of the symptoms previously attributed to the aging process itself now appear to be related, at least in part, to alcohol use in this age group. How alcohol interacts with aging to affect driving performance is largely unknown. Most states define 0.10% BAC as the legal definition of drunken driving, and in part because of this legal definition, many drivers believe that it is safe to drive at lower levels. However, it is known that impairment occurs at lower levels and that older persons may be more affected by a given amount of alcohol. There is also some suggestion that women may be at higher risk of crash at low levels of alcohol in comparison to men. In addition, very little is known about how alcohol interacts with sleep deprivation to affect driving performance. It is known that alcohol-related crashes are more likely to occur during nighttime hours, but both alcohol use and sleep deprivation are more likely to occur at these times. This project seeks to investigate systematically some of the key factors related to driving performance and measure how low levels of alcohol interact to affect performance. The overall objective is to examine the interrelationships among alcohol use, aging and driving performance. The specific aims of the project include: 1) to determine the effects of low levels of alcohol on driving performance as a function of age, gender, and driving complexity and more specifically: a) to determine the degree to which low levels of blood alcohol alter specific driving skills as a function of age; b) to examine how alcohol-aging effects on driving-related skills vary as a function of gender; c) to measure how alcohol-aging effects on driving-related skills vary as a function of driving complexity; and 2) to assess the alcohol-aging effects on driving performance as a function of sleep deprivation. The findings from this research should provide valuable information for counseling older persons regarding their alcohol use and driving and should clarify issues for further investigation.