This study aimed to test the theory that driving performance is strongly associated with dynamic processing of multiple objects, by evaluating if NeuroTracker measures correlate with older driving performance in simulated scenarios.

What Was Studied

30 experienced drivers with ages ranging from 65-85 years old were tested on one session of NeuroTracker (3D-MOT), and completed up to 3 driving scenarios on the STISIM 3.0 driving simulator. 5 unexpected events were included in the scenarios to test crash risk. The correlations between NeuroTracker speed thresholds and simulator measures (crash rate, lane deviation) were then calculated.

What Was Found

Highly significant correlations were found between NeuroTracker thresholds and both crash rate and lane deviation in the highway driving scenarios. Lower NeuroTracker scores were strongly associated with lane deviation during highway merging, and higher NeuroTracker scores related to participants being less likely to crash across different scenarios, and to have better overall lane maintenance skills.

Takeaways

This study adds plausibility to the idea that a multiple object tracking test such as NeuroTracker could be a candidate for inclusion in an assessment battery for older drivers.

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Reference: Heather Woods-Fry et al. ‘Three-Dimensional Multiple Object Tracking Speed Thresholds are Associated with Measures of Simulated Driving Performance in Older Drivers’ Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 61(1), 42–45, 2017.

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