Citation

Uc EY, Rizzo M, Anderson S, Lawrence J, Dawson J. Proc. Int. Driv. Symp. Hum. Factors Driv. Assess. Train. Veh. Des. 2011; 6: 248-254.

Affiliation

Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, University of Iowa Public Policy Center)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

24273757

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) impairs driving performance. In this pilot study, four drivers with PD (selected based on poor road driving performance in the past) participated in a rehabilitation program using a driving simulator. Two different training drives (#1- multiple intersections of varying visibility and traffic load, where an incurring vehicle posed a crash risk, #2- various scenarios on decision making, hazard perception and response) were administered in each session (total 3 sessions once every 1-2 weeks) with immediate feedback after the drives. We observed reduction in crashes in drive #1 and improved scores on drive #2 in the simulator. In addition, 3 subjects showed marked improvements in their total error counts on a standard road test between baseline and post-training sessions, one subject stayed stable. These findings suggest that our simulator training program is feasible and potentially useful in impaired drivers with PD.

Language: en