Citation

Llaneras RE, Swezey RW, Brock JF, Rogers WC, Van Cott HP. Int. J. Ind. Ergonomics 1998; 22(3): 217-245.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This research effort involved investigations of fifteen human abilities, their changes which occur with aging, and their effects upon commercial truck driving performance. One-hundred and seven commercially licensed truck drivers, divided into five age cohort groups, participated in the research study. An ability testbed, consisting of laboratory-based assessment devices, was used to measure 15 driving related perceptual, cognitive, and psychomotor abilities. The influence of these functional abilities on driving performance was assessed using an interactive commercial truck driving simulator. Relationships between perceptual, cognitive, and psychomotor abilities and measures of driving performance indicated that functional levels on these tasks and driving performance are significantly related. How well drivers performed on a number of ability tests was predictive of driving performance. However, age, in and of itself, was not predictive of driving performance. Interventions designed to target ability deficiencies were also developed and evaluated during the course of this effort. Four interventions, consisting of three in-vehicle compensatory aids and a single driver training program, were used in the study. The degree to which the interventions enhanced, or otherwise influenced driving performance was examined by contrasting performance with versus without the interventions. Results indicated that all four interventions led to enhanced performance.Relevance to industryThis study enabled key functional abilities to be mapped to driving performance. The resulting information can aid in the development of driver screening tools for identifying potentially unsafe drivers, and ergonomic interventions which enable this growing segment of the population to continue to effectively contribute to the workforce, while ensuring safe and productive driving.