Journal article
Simulated Car Crashes at Intersections in Drivers With Alzheimer Disease
Alzheimer disease and associated disorders, Vol.15(1), pp.10-20
01/2001
DOI: 10.1097/00002093-200101000-00002
PMID: 11236820
Abstract
Current evidence suggests that car crashes in cognitively impaired older drivers often occur because of failure to notice other drivers at intersections. We tested whether licensed drivers with mild to moderate cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer disease (AD) are at greater risk for intersection crashes. In this experiment, 30 participants drove on a virtual highway in a simulator scenario where the approach to within 3.6 seconds of an intersection triggered an illegal incursion by another vehicle. To avoid collision with the incurring vehicle, the driver had to perceive, attend to, and interpret the roadway situation; formulate an evasive plan; and then exert appropriate action on the accelerator, brake, or steering controls, all under pressure of time. The results showed that 6 of 18 drivers with AD (33%) experienced crashes versus none of 12 nondemented drivers of similar age. Use of a visual tool that plots control over steering wheel position, brake and accelerator pedals, vehicle speed, and vehicle position during the 5 seconds preceding a crash event showed inattention and control responses that were either inappropriate or too slow. The findings were combined with those in another recent study of collision avoidance in drivers with AD that focused on potential rear end collisions. Predictors of crashes in the combined studies included visuospatial impairment, disordered attention, reduced processing of visual motion cues, and overall cognitive decline. The results help to specify the linkage between decline in certain cognitive domains and increased crash risk in AD and also support the use of high-fidelity simulation and neuropsychologic assessment in an effort to standardize the assessment of fitness to drive in persons with medical impairments.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Simulated Car Crashes at Intersections in Drivers With Alzheimer Disease
- Creators
- Matthew RizzoDaniel V McGeheeJeffrey D DawsonSteven N Anderson
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Alzheimer disease and associated disorders, Vol.15(1), pp.10-20
- DOI
- 10.1097/00002093-200101000-00002
- PMID
- 11236820
- NLM abbreviation
- Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord
- ISSN
- 0893-0341
- eISSN
- 1546-4156
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/2001
- Academic Unit
- Neurology; Public Health Administration; Occupational and Environmental Health; Emergency Medicine; Biostatistics; Industrial and Systems Engineering; Center for Social Science Innovation; Injury Prevention Research Center; Public Policy Center (Archive)
- Record Identifier
- 9983997481902771
Metrics
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