Citation

Macdougall HG, Moore ST, Black RA, Jolly N, Curthoys IS. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2009; 1164: 413-418.

Affiliation

Vestibular Research Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. hamish@psych.usyd.edu.au

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1749-6632.2008.03733.x

PMID

19645940

Abstract

This study measured on-road driving behavior in subjects with bilateral vestibular loss (BVL). Data included point-of-regard (what the driver is looking at and attending to), gaze stability (the performance of the vestibulo-ocular reflex), and head movement, during complex maneuvers such as changing lanes, cornering, pulling into traffic, and parking. Subjective and objective measures showed few differences between BVL subjects and age-matched controls, and that it is possible to drive well with little or no peripheral vestibular function. This has important implications for driver licensing, road-safety policy, and for the potential successful rehabilitation of vestibular patients. Patients with unilateral vestibular dysfunction may have more difficulty driving than their bilateral counterparts.

Language: en