Augmented Reality Cues and Elderly Driver Hazard Perception

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of augmented reality (AR) cues in improving driving safety among elderly drivers who are at increased crash risk because of cognitive impairments. Background: Cognitively challenging driving environments pose a particular crash risk...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human factors 2013-06, Vol.55 (3), p.643-658
Main Authors: Schall, Mark C., Rusch, Michelle L., Lee, John D., Dawson, Jeffrey D., Thomas, Geb, Aksan, Nazan, Rizzo, Matthew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult. Elderly
Aged
Applied psychology
Augmented reality
Automobile drivers
Automobile Driving
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition Disorders
Cognitive ability
Crashes
Cues
Data Display
Developmental psychology
Elderly people
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Geriatric Assessment
Hazards
Humans
Male
Older people
Perception
Principal Component Analysis
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychomotor Performance
Risk
Safety
Transportation. City planning
Vehicles
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Summary:Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of augmented reality (AR) cues in improving driving safety among elderly drivers who are at increased crash risk because of cognitive impairments. Background: Cognitively challenging driving environments pose a particular crash risk for elderly drivers. AR cuing is a promising technology to mitigate risk by directing driver attention to roadway hazards. We investigate whether AR cues improve or interfere with hazard perception in elderly drivers with age-related cognitive decline. Method: A total of 20 elderly (M = 73 years, SD = 5) licensed drivers with a range of cognitive abilities measured by a speed-of-processing (SOP) composite participated in a 1-hr drive in an interactive, fixed-base driving simulator. Each participant drove through six straight, 6-mile-long, rural roadway scenarios following a lead vehicle. AR cues directed attention to potential roadside hazards in three of the scenarios, and the other three were uncued (baseline) drives. Effects of AR cuing were evaluated with respect to (a) detection of hazardous target objects, (b) interference with detecting nonhazardous secondary objects, and (c) impairment in maintaining safe distance behind a lead vehicle. Results: AR cuing improved the detection of hazardous target objects of low visibility. AR cues did not interfere with detection of nonhazardous secondary objects and did not impair ability to maintain safe distance behind a lead vehicle. SOP capacity did not moderate those effects. Conclusion: AR cues show promise for improving elderly driver safety by increasing hazard detection likelihood without interfering with other driving tasks, such as maintaining safe headway.
ISSN:0018-7208
1547-8181
DOI:10.1177/0018720812462029