Blur, eye movements and performance on a driving visual recognition slide test

Purpose Optical blur and ageing are known to affect driving performance but their effects on drivers' eye movements are poorly understood. This study examined the effects of optical blur and age on eye movement patterns and performance on the DriveSafe slide recognition test which is purported to predict fitness to drive. Methods Twenty young (27.1 ± 4.6 years) and 20 older (73.3 ± 5.7 years) visually normal drivers performed the DriveSafe under two visual conditions: best-corrected vision and with +2.00 DS blur. The DriveSafe is a Visual Recognition Slide Test that consists of brief presentations of static, real-world driving scenes containing different road users (pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles). Participants reported the types, relative positions and direction of travel of the road users in each image; the score was the number of correctly reported items (maximum score of 128). Eye movements were recorded while participants performed the DriveSafe test using a Tobii TX300 eye tracking system. Results There was a significant main effect of blur on DriveSafe scores (best-corrected: 114.9 vs blur: 93.2; p < 0.001). There was also a significant age and blur interaction on the DriveSafe scores (p < 0.001) such that the young drivers were more negatively affected by blur than the older drivers (reductions of 22% and 13% respectively; p < 0.001): with best-corrected vision, the young drivers performed better than the older drivers (DriveSafe scores: 118.4 vs 111.5; p = 0.001), while with blur, the young drivers performed worse than the older drivers (88.6 vs 95.9; p = 0.009). For the eye movement patterns, blur significantly reduced the number of fixations on road users (best-corrected: 5.1 vs blur: 4.5; p < 0.001), fixation duration on road users (2.0 s vs 1.8 s; p < 0.001) and saccade amplitudes (7.4° vs 6.7°; p < 0.001). A main effect of age on eye movements was also found where older drivers made smaller saccades than the young drivers (6.7° vs 7.4°; p < 0.001). Conclusions Blur reduced DriveSafe scores for both age groups and this effect was greater for the young drivers. The decrease in number of fixations and fixation duration on road users, as well as the reduction in saccade amplitudes under the blurred condition, highlight the difficulty experienced in performing the task in the presence of optical blur, which suggests that uncorrected refractive errors may have a detrimental impact on aspects of driving performance.

Drink driver rehabilitation and new developments

Drink driving continues to be a major public health concern. Significant reductions in road fatalities have been achieved due largely to the Safe Systems Approach to road safety. However, serious injury due to road trauma has increased in most Australian jurisdictions. Some subgroups of drink drivers such as young drivers and Indigenous drink drivers are vulnerable to road trauma and have been less responsive to countermeasures based on the deterrence philosophy. Drink driving rehabilitation programs that use a combination of deterrence, education and social control models have been moderately successful in reducing recidivism. However, most of these programs do not adequately address alcohol related health concerns or the needs of drink drivers in remote and rural areas. Scant attention has also been given to the use of brief online drink driving interventions. The ‘Under the Limit’ (UTL) drink driving rehabilitation program has recently been revised to ensure that its content is contemporary, relevant and evidenced based. CARRS-Q has also developed a brief online program that targets first time convicted drink drivers who have a BAC under 0.15g/100mL and a culturally sensitive program that targets Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders living in rural and remote areas. These new developments will be discussed in the context of the most effective road safety educational policy and practice.

Eye movements and road hazard detection: Effects of blur and distractors

Purpose To examine the effects of optical blur, auditory distractors and age on eye movement patterns while performing a driving hazard perception test (HPT). Methods Twenty young (mean age 27.1 ± 4.6 years) and 20 older (73.3 ± 5.7 years) drivers with normal vision completed a HPT in a repeated-measures counterbalanced design while their eye movements were recorded. Testing was performed under two visual (best-corrected vision and with +2.00DS blur) and two distractor (with and without auditory distraction) conditions. Participants were required to respond to road hazards appearing in the HPT videos of real-world driving scenes and their hazard response times were recorded. Results Blur and distractors each significantly delayed hazard response time, by 0.42 and 0.76s respectively (p<0.05). A significant interaction between age and distractors indicated that older drivers were more affected by distractors than young drivers (response with distractors delayed by 0.96 and 0.60s respectively). There were no other two- or three-way interaction effect on response time. With blur, both groups fixated significantly longer on hazards before responding compared to best-corrected vision. In the presence of distractors, both groups exhibited delayed first fixation on the hazards and spent less time fixating on the hazards. There were also significant differences in eye movement characteristics between groups, where older drivers exhibited smaller saccades, delayed first fixation on hazards, and shorter fixation duration on hazards compared to the young drivers. Conclusions Collectively, the findings of delayed hazard response times and alterations in eye movement patterns with blur and distractors provide further evidence that visual impairment and distractors are independently detrimental to driving safety given that delayed hazard response times are linked to increased crash risk.

Exploration de la perception d’adolescents et d’experts sur les campagnes de sensibilisation et les programmes de prévention en sécurité routière pour adolescents

Cette étude qualitative descriptive de type exploratoire avait pour but l’exploration de la perception des adolescents et des experts en sécurité routière sur les campagnes de sensibilisation actuelles et les programmes de prévention en sécurité routière s’adressant aux adolescents, afin de proposer de nouvelles pistes d’action en prévention des accidents de la route. Le modèle de planification Precede/Proceed de Green et Kreuter (2005) a été utilisé comme cadre de référence. Un groupe de discussion a été réalisé auprès de huit adolescents et des entrevues semi-dirigées ont été réalisées auprès de trois experts en sécurité routière. Les résultats montrent que peu de similitudes existent entre les propos des adolescents et ceux des experts en sécurité routière. Par contre, les similitudes portent sur des aspects importants en sécurité routière comme la prise du risque à l’adolescence, l’implication des parents et l’implication du milieu scolaire. Les résultats de cette étude fourniront aux décideurs de programmes de prévention ou aux personnes agissant de près ou de loin auprès de cette clientèle des pistes de recherches et d’actions pour de futures interventions prometteuses en prévention des accidents de la route chez les adolescents afin de réduire le nombre d’accidents chez les jeunes conducteurs.

Interprétation des expériences punitives et ses effets sur la délinquance : le cas des infractions routières au Québec.

D'après des études récentes, le lien qui unit les propriétés objectives de la peine (c.-à-d. la sévérité, la certitude et la célérité de la peine) et les propriétés telles que perçues par les délinquants potentiels serait faible, voire inexistant. Par conséquent, les politiques publiques s'appuyant sur le paradigme dissuasif seraient inefficaces pour réduire la criminalité. Toutefois, ces études s'appuient sur un modèle conceptuel limité qui sous-entend que la peine produirait uniquement de la dissuasion. Cette étude vise donc à tester un modèle élargi de prévention générale qui intègre à la fois les notions de dissuasion et de validation normative. D'après ce modèle, l'effet préventif de la peine pourrait s'effectuer à travers les valeurs et les croyances des délinquants potentiels, et ce sans nécessairement modifier leurs perceptions de la peine. Afin de vérifier l'utilité d'un tel modèle, des données ont été colligées à l'aide d'un sondage sur les habitudes de conduite de 448 jeunes conducteurs québécois. Les résultats indiquent que les mécanismes dissuasifs, tels que la certitude perçue d'arrestation et la sévérité perçue des peines, n'ont pas d'effet significatif sur l'intention délictuelle des automobilistes. Toutefois, les valeurs et les croyances de l'automobiliste jouent un rôle essentiel dans la décision d'adopter un comportement routier respectueux des lois. Les automobilistes percevant les problématiques de sécurité routière (c.-à-d. alcool au volant ou vitesse) comme graves auraient moins d'intentions délinquantes. Ces valeurs et ces croyances seraient modulées à la fois par les expériences d'impunité et par le niveau d'exposition aux différentes activités policières sur les routes. Ces résultats suggèrent que l'application des lois peut produire un effet préventif sans nécessairement que des mécanismes dissuasifs en soient responsables.

Une analyse procédurale des collisions mortelles chez les conducteurs de 16-29 ans et implications en termes de prévention : une analyse des scripts

Context and objectives. While 11% of all drivers are aged between 16 and 24, they represent 20% of all fatally injured drivers on the road network of the Province of Quebec. In collaboration with the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), this study seeks to: (1) offer a detailed description of the process (script) leading to fatal collisions involving young drivers; and (2) to recommend prevention measures. Methodology. The script perspective was used to relate the process leading to a fatal collision. The script perspective accounts for all steps that lead to the collision by focusing on: (1) all parties (the driver, friends, parents) and their actions; (2) contexts; and (3) environments. Data were collected from collision and investigation files (n=179). Descriptive and comparative analyses were then conducted to construct the script(s). Results. Results show that fatal collision scripts for 16-29 are different from scripts involving drivers of other age categories (30-59 year-old and 60 year-old and over). The typical script involves a young driver using his car to take part in leisure or festive activities. The latest often occur in a private residence, a bar or a restaurant. On site, young drivers frequently consume psychoactive substances (between 21 and 63.5% of them according to the scene of the script) and are accompanied by friends (between 18.4 and 73.9% according to the scene of the script). Friends often encourage drivers to have alcohol and/or drugs, and to adopt reckless behaviours (speeding and drinking-and-driving are respectively involved in 29.9 and 28.6% of fatal collisions). Conclusion and implications for prevention. Results suggest that fatal collisions involving young drivers could be avoided by encouraging prevention measures aimed at: (1) separating drinking and driving; (2) limiting access to alcohol and peer pressure; (3) raising awareness among potential guardians (e.g. responsible waiters, friends); and (4) increasing arrest risk.

Supplemental driver safety program development. Volume I: developmental research and evaluation. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Supplemental driver safety program development. Volume II: pilot and field test module materials. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Implementation guide for establishing a youth traffic safety council.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Program overview for establishing a youth traffic safety council.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Traffic safety demonstration program modeling system. Volume IV: appendices.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Understanding youthful risk taking and driving.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Baseline data for public education about alcohol and highway safety in Vermont.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Youth, alcohol, and speeding: their joint contribution to highway accidents. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Safe driving knowledge dissemination and testing techniques. Volume I. General findings. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.