None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Older drivers in Australia drive older cars, have increased crash involvement particularly intersection crashes and are more vulnerable to injuries. Autonomous Vehicle Technology (AVT), such as crash avoidance systems, in-vehicle information systems, and comfort-supporting systems, are available in a range of vehicles and are likely to become standard. They have been shown to promote and enhance safe driving whilst potentially mitigating age-related declines. A recent scoping review found <10% of studies examining AVT examined use by older drivers. The limited evidence to date has shown low usage, awareness, confidence, and competency levels in these safety features amongst older drivers. This may be due to a combination of high self-rated driving confidence in older drivers and the fact that many older drivers use older vehicles which do not feature AVT. Little is still known about how older drivers view these technologies, their convenience and the ability of older drivers to use them correctly in order to promote safety. Studies have shown that compared to no training, any type of training in AVT use is beneficial to driving performance. It is hypothesized that road traffic injuries and fatalities can be reduced, among older drivers, by increasing awareness and competence in use of newer cars with available AVT: Level 0 (warnings and alerts) and Level 1 (driver assistance) and Level 2 (adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist). This trial builds on a successful pilot study (n=8) of a multi-modal training program involving 1) an interactive classroom session, and 2) an on-road (naturalistic) driving session with a trained driving instructor or driver-trained occupational therapist in a dual-controlled vehicle, developed through an expert panel review process led by the research team in 2019-2020. This project will comprehensively investigate AVT for today’s older drivers, with findings of relevance to consumers, insurers, and policy makers and will inform how to position AVTs to enhance the safety older drivers.
Interventions
Participants randomised to the intervention group will firstly participate in an interactive classroom education session, led by a licensed Driving Instructor and/or Occupational Therapist Driving Assessor, aiming to familiarise older drivers with the benefits, risks and correct use of advanced vehicle technologies (AVT), in groups of 8 to 10 older drivers per session. Classroom training will run for a total of 3 hours, including 30 minutes for morning tea, and will involve input from an older d
Participants randomised to the intervention group will firstly participate in an interactive classroom education session, led by a licensed Driving Instructor and/or Occupational Therapist Driving Assessor, aiming to familiarise older drivers with the benefits, risks and correct use of advanced vehicle technologies (AVT), in groups of 8 to 10 older drivers per session. Classroom training will run for a total of 3 hours, including 30 minutes for morning tea, and will involve input from an older driver already using AVT, and the use of handouts, pamphlets and audio-visual material such as video and photographs. These were designed specifically for the study. Topics discussed include: 1. Ageing and driving – what to look out for 2. Autonomous Vehicle Technology – what are they, and what functions do they perform? 3. Autonomous Vehicle Technology – benefits to drivers? 4. Autonomous Vehicle Technology – risks to drivers? On a separate day, as soon as possible after the classroom session, each participant will be scheduled to complete a one-hour practical, on-road (naturalistic) training session with a licensed Driving Instructor or Occupational Therapist Driving Assessor to implement their new knowledge and skills from the classroom education session. One hour is considered sufficient timing to experience the range of AVT fitted into the provided dual-controlled vehicle, such as lane departure warnings, road sign recognition and navigation aid. Each on-road driving session will involve on-road instruction in AVT use and broken into three parts: 1. Participant driving on a pre-planned route designed to demonstrate the AVT on board the provided vehicle. For example, narrow and winding roads are more likely to activate lane departure alerts, multiple speed zone changes will result in an alert that the speed zone has changed and a highway section that will demonstrate the following distance of the vehicle, relative to the vehicles in front. This will involve an increase in complexity, where the route will start in an area of low traffic density and move into areas of moderate traffic density. 2. A navigation task using the navigation aid will involve participants being asked to navigate to and from one unfamiliar location to another. 3. A reverse maneuver using a reverse camera and proximity alerts. This task will be performed in a traffic free environment. The design of this task has been informed by the literature on drivers experience with rear parking sensors and will involve the following: a. Reversing towards an object that cannot be seen in the rear-view mirror b. Reversing into an area towards an object that can be seen in the rear-view mirror (reverse park) Further, in-cabin advice in the participant’s own vehicle will also be provided. Session attendance checklists, scheduling data and staff reports will be used to monitor adherence to the intervention.
Sponsors
University of New South Wales Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
70 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Aged 70 years and older 2. Has an active and valid NSW Driver’s license (Class C) 3. Regular driver (at least 2-3 times per week) of a vehicle with at least Level 1 AVT (driver assistance such as collision or lane departure warnings, lane keep assist, cruise control) 4. Able to travel to sites/driving centres for study visits 5. Consent to use your personal vehicle to perform a driving assessment in the presence of an Occupational Therapy Driving Assessor (OTDA) and/or licensed driving instructor (DI) 6. Consent to drive an unfamiliar vehicle 7. Able to meet the time commitment of the study (approx. 3.5 to 7.5 hours across several days) 8. Able to understand conversational English
Exclusion criteria
Has a modified driver license which restricts attendance or completion of study activities, e.g. can only travel restricted distances from home by which the study sites or driving assessment route is not included
Outcome results
None listed