Shechtman Oritz, Classen Sherrilene, Stephens Burton, Bendixen Roxanna, Belchior Patricia, Sandhu Milapt, McCarthy Dennis, Mann William, Davis Ethan
College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida. Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.
Traffic Inj Prev. 2007 Mar;8(1):78-86. doi: 10.1080/15389580600994321.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) proposed guidelines for highway design to increase the safe driving ability of older drivers; however, little empirical evidence exists to support the effectiveness of these guidelines. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of implementing these guidelines (in 4 pairs of intersections) on safe driving performance of older and younger drivers using a high-fidelity driving simulator.
We replicated four intersection pairs (improved versus unimproved) in a high-fidelity, virtual reality driving simulator. Simulator scenarios were created from actual road locations, replicating road geometrics and traffic control devices. The simulator's controls were integrated with an actual vehicle to make the driving experience as realistic as possible. Kinematic measures were obtained from the simulator in conjunction with driving errors recorded by trained driving evaluators sitting in the cab of the car. Thirty-nine subjects, 19 younger and 20 older adults, participated in the study.
For the kinematic data we found greater lateral control, as indicated by significantly smaller maximum yaw during the turn phase, at all of the improved intersections when compared to the unimproved intersections. We found some significant age differences, but mostly in only one of the intersection-pairs. For the behavioral data, there were significant differences in driving errors between improved and unimproved intersections in two intersection-pairs; however, there were no significant differences in driving errors between the older and younger drivers.
The findings suggest that both young and older drivers may benefit from roadways with safety features recommended by the FHWA guidelines as indicated by the increased lateral control of the vehicle when negotiating these intersections. These findings generate critical information for those involved in the design of roadway systems.
美国联邦公路管理局（FHWA）提出了公路设计指南，以提高老年驾驶员的安全驾驶能力；然而，几乎没有实证证据支持这些指南的有效性。本研究的目的是使用高保真驾驶模拟器，调查实施这些指南（在4组交叉路口）对老年和年轻驾驶员安全驾驶性能的影响。
我们在高保真虚拟现实驾驶模拟器中复制了四组交叉路口（改进型与未改进型）。模拟器场景根据实际道路位置创建，复制道路几何形状和交通控制设备。模拟器的控制装置与实际车辆集成，以使驾驶体验尽可能逼真。结合坐在驾驶座上的训练有素的驾驶评估员记录的驾驶错误，从模拟器中获取运动学测量数据。39名受试者参与了该研究，其中19名年轻人和20名老年人。
对于运动学数据，我们发现，与未改进的交叉路口相比，在所有改进的交叉路口，转弯阶段的最大偏航明显更小，这表明横向控制更好。我们发现了一些显著的年龄差异，但大多仅在其中一组交叉路口中存在。对于行为数据，在两组交叉路口中，改进型和未改进型交叉路口的驾驶错误存在显著差异；然而，老年和年轻驾驶员之间的驾驶错误没有显著差异。
研究结果表明，年轻和老年驾驶员都可能从具有FHWA指南推荐的安全特征的道路中受益，在通过这些交叉路口时车辆横向控制的增强就表明了这一点。这些发现为参与道路系统设计的人员提供了关键信息。
