A simulator based study to investigate executive functioning of older drivers at left turns intersections
ETIENNE ; MARIN-LAMELLET ; PAIRE-FICOUT
Type de document
COMMUNICATION AVEC ACTES INTERNATIONAL (ACTI)
Langue
anglais
Auteur
ETIENNE ; MARIN-LAMELLET ; PAIRE-FICOUT
Résumé / Abstract
In the context of the ageing population, the issue of road safety is a matter of increasing concern. Older drivers are over-represented in crashes at intersections and more particularly when a turn across traffic has to be made. The aim of the present study was to evaluate how three executive functions; which are high cognitive level functions (inhibition, updating and mental flexibility) are involved in a simulated left-turn manoeuvre, and could affect the performance of older drivers.A neuropsychological evaluation of three executive components (updating, inhibition and mental flexibility) was combined with a driving simulator experiment, involving ten left-turn intersections, to investigate the relationship between these functions and driving performance in two age groups of drivers: a group of younger driver (aged 18 to 35) and a group of healthy older drivers (aged 62 to78). The cognitive assessment showed that the older drivers present lower performances in two of the three executive functions (inhibition and updating), compared to younger drivers. The older drivers performed slightly worse than younger drivers in the simulated left-turns intersections. A regression analysis also demonstrated that the differences in participants' performance in the simulator were affected by the flexibility cost and the updating cost, but not by ageing. Implications for older drivers' safety and future directions concerning usability of driving simulators are discussed.
Editeur
TRB
