Procedures for Testing Older Driving Capabilities

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目的主要目标是开发一种低成本的驾驶模拟器，可用于筛选和潜在的再培训老年司机的心理，注意力和认知技能。这项开发将建立在现有的设备上，该设备已被用于评估因酒精和疲劳而受损的驾驶员行为，并培训新手驾驶员。该模拟装置旨在具有用于评估心理、注意力和认知技能的发达且灵敏的测量范例，这些测量范例已经在先前的研究中开发。这一发展的动机是对提高老年驾驶员安全性和机动性的日益关注。低成本驾驶模拟的基本硬件和软件技术已经开发出来，并发现对驾驶员年龄敏感。第一阶段的可行性研究表明，有效的测试程序可以导致敏感的检测年龄受损的驾驶技能。在第二阶段SBIR项目中，我们建议：1）进一步完善模拟器的物理格式和驾驶场景和测量范例，以评估驾驶员在关键道路和交通情况下的心理，注意力和认知技能; 2）对中年和老年驾驶员群体进行大型研究，以验证扩展的模拟能力，以筛选和培训老年驾驶员的安全相关技能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary objective of this proposed project is to develop a low-cost driving simulator that can be used for screening and potentially retraining the psychomotor, attentional and cognitive skills of older drivers. This development will build on an already existing device that has been used to assess driver behavior impaired by alcohol and fatigue and to train novice drivers. The simulation device is intended to have well developed and sensitive measurement paradigms for assessing psychomotor, attentional and cognitive skills, which have been developed in prior research. The motivation for this development is the growing concern for improving the safety and mobility of older drivers. The basic hardware and software technology for a low cost driving simulation has already been developed and found to be sensitive to driver age. A Phase I feasibility study has shown that efficient test procedures can result in sensitive detection of age impaired driving skills. In this Phase II SBIR project we propose to: 1) further refine the simulator physical format and the driving scenarios and measurement paradigms to asses the psychomotor, attentional and cognitive skills of drivers in critical road and traffic situations; 2) conduct a large study with middle aged and older driver groups to validate the expanded simulation capabilities for screening and training the safety related skills of older drivers.