title: Naturalistic conversation improves daytime motorway driving performance under a benzodiazepine: a randomised, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
abstract: The adverse effects of benzodiazepines on driving are widely recognised. The aims of this study were both to determine the impact of naturalistic conversation on the driving ability of drivers under a benzodiazepine, and to measure the accuracy of drivers' assessments of the joint effects of the benzodiazepine and conversation. Sixteen healthy male participants (29.69 ± 3.30 years) underwent a randomised, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with the benzodiazepine lorazepam (2mg). They drove 200 km (125 miles) on a motorway in the morning. We measured two driving ability-related variables (i.e., lane-keeping performance), and collected a set of self-assessed variables (i.e., self-assessment of driving performance) during two 10-min sequences of interest (no conversation vs. conversation). An analysis of variance revealed an interaction whereby lane-keeping performance under lorazepam was worse in the no-conversation condition than in the conversation condition. No such difference was detected under placebo. Pearson's correlation coefficients revealed that self-assessments were (i) not at all predictive of lane-keeping when performed before the drive, but (ii) moderately predictive of lane-keeping performance when performed during or after the drive. We conclude that conversation with a passenger may contribute to safer lane-keeping when driving under a benzodiazepine. Moreover, a degree of awareness may be attained after some experience of driving under the influence of this type of medication.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Cognition, Langues, Langage, Ergonomie (CLLE-LTC), UMR 5263, CNRS, Université de Toulouse Le Mirail, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Ladislav
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moták
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Cognition, Langues, Langage, Ergonomie (CLLE-LTC), UMR 5263, CNRS, Université de Toulouse Le Mirail, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Laëtitia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bayssac
authors.affiliation: Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Sommeil, Attention et Neuropsychiatrie, USR 3413, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taillard
authors.affiliation: Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Sommeil, Attention et Neuropsychiatrie, USR 3413, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sagaspe
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Cognition, Langues, Langage, Ergonomie (CLLE-LTC), UMR 5263, CNRS, Université de Toulouse Le Mirail, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Huet
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Cognition, Langues, Langage, Ergonomie (CLLE-LTC), UMR 5263, CNRS, Université de Toulouse Le Mirail, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Terrier
authors.affiliation: Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Sommeil, Attention et Neuropsychiatrie, USR 3413, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Philip
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Cognition, Langues, Langage, Ergonomie (CLLE-LTC), UMR 5263, CNRS, Université de Toulouse Le Mirail, Toulouse, France. Electronic address: daurat@univ-tlse2.fr.
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daurat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D001364:Awareness / Q000187:drug effects; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D012449:Safety; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008140:Lorazepam
keywords: Benzodiazepine; Distraction; Self-assessment; Weaving