Citation

Molina R, Redondo B, Di Stasi LL, Anera RG, Vera J, Jiménez R. Ergonomics 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00140139.2020.1814427

PMID

32841064

Abstract

Appropriate visual function is paramount to ensuring adequate driving performance and road safety. Here, we examined the influence of artificially-impaired binocular vision on driving performance using a car simulator. Twenty-four young drivers (aged 22.42 ± 3.19 years) drove under three different visual conditions (natural driving, monocular blur, and monocular occlusion) through three different traffic environments with low, medium, and high levels of complexity (highway, rural, and city, respectively). We assessed their driving performance perceived level of task complexity and subjectively-experienced road safety. Furthermore, as a manipulation check, we also evaluated the drivers' cardiac vagal responses as a well-known index of task complexity. The sudden deterioration of binocular vision caused unsafe driving behaviours (distance out of the road and maximum breaking intensity) in the most complex traffic environments. Specific self-regulatory strategies (i.e. increased cardiac vagal responses) and subjective responses corroborated these results.Practitioner Summary: This study provides evidence that the sudden deterioration of binocular vision has a detrimental effect on driving performance when assessed in a car simulator. Our analysis of cardiovascular functioning showed that drivers adopted self-regulatory strategies when their binocular vision functioning was compromised.

Language: en

Keywords

road safety; cardiovascular response; heart rate variability; self-regulation; visual performance