title: Individual differences in cognitive functioning predict effectiveness of a heads-up lane departure warning for younger and older drivers.
abstract: The effectiveness of an idealized lane departure warning (LDW) was evaluated in an interactive fixed base driving simulator. Thirty-eight older (mean age=77years) and 40 younger drivers (mean age=35years) took four different drives/routes similar in road culture composition and hazards encountered with and without LDW. The four drives were administered over visits separated approximately by two weeks to examine changes in long-term effectiveness of LDW. Performance metrics were number of LDW activations and average correction time to each LDW. LDW reduced correction time to re-center the vehicle by 1.34s on average (95% CI=1.12-1.57s) but did not reduce the number of times the drivers drifted enough in their lanes to activate the system (LDW activations). The magnitude of reductions in average correction RT was similar for older and younger drivers and did not change with repeated exposures across visits. The contribution of individual differences in basic visual and motor function, as well as cognitive function to safety gains from LDW was also examined. Cognitive speed of processing predicted lane keeping performance for older and younger drivers. Differences in memory, visuospatial construction, and executive function tended to predict performance differences among older but not younger drivers. Cognitive functioning did not predict changes in the magnitude of safety benefits from LDW over time. Implications are discussed with respect to real-world safety systems.
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. Electronic address: nazan-aksan@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Nazan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aksan
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, Department of Biostatistics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sager
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hacker
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lester
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, Department of Biostatistics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.affiliation: Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center, 1555 Woodridge Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ebe
authors.affiliation: Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center, 1555 Woodridge Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Foley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D011482:Protective Devices; D012449:Safety; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
keywords: Cognitive function; Lane departure warning; Older drivers