On-road assessment of driving performance in bilateral vestibular-deficient patients.
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.
MacDougall
Hamish G
HG
Vestibular Research Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. hamish@psych.usyd.edu.au
Moore
Steven T
ST
Black
Ross A
RA
Jolly
Neryla
N
Curthoys
Ian S
IS
D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014792:Visual Acuity