How to circumvent quality How to circumvent quality deficits in eye testing and deficits in eye testing and

driving licensing!?driving licensing!?

Kjell OhlssonKjell Ohlsson

Professor of Engineering Psychology/Human Machine Professor of Engineering Psychology/Human Machine InteractionInteraction

Department of Management & Industrial Engineering, Department of Management & Industrial Engineering, Division of Quality Technology & Management, Linköping Division of Quality Technology & Management, Linköping

UniversityUniversity

Scientific advisor to the Institute for Humane Technology Scientific advisor to the Institute for Humane Technology (IHT), Bollnäs (IHT), Bollnäs

Also affiliated to the Swedish Centre for Stress MedicineAlso affiliated to the Swedish Centre for Stress MedicineE-mail: E-mail: kjell.ohlsson@liu.se

Mobile: +46 702421687Mobile: +46 702421687

Mitigating validity problemsMitigating validity problems

• There is an ambitious proposal on There is an ambitious proposal on EU-level to embrace a large number EU-level to embrace a large number of ”driving tasks” that will be used in of ”driving tasks” that will be used in order to assess driving capability, by order to assess driving capability, by far more elaborated than anything far more elaborated than anything used today.used today.

Pilot project at Institute for Humane Pilot project at Institute for Humane Technology, (IHT) Bollnäs, SwedenTechnology, (IHT) Bollnäs, Sweden

• Screening tests of driving license candidates Screening tests of driving license candidates with functional disorderswith functional disorders

• A low fidelity simulator with a commercial A low fidelity simulator with a commercial software for city drivingsoftware for city driving

• Cooperation between IHT, a driving school Cooperation between IHT, a driving school and Höghammar school (- boarding school and Höghammar school (- boarding school for teenagers with intellectual dysfunctions)for teenagers with intellectual dysfunctions)

• A well functioning activity not solicited by A well functioning activity not solicited by the Swedish Transportation board the Swedish Transportation board

New challenges for aging New challenges for aging with grace on the road with grace on the road again again

Forecasted increased number of Forecasted increased number of elderly car drivers with visual elderly car drivers with visual problemsproblems

More advanced technology More advanced technology in the future is foreseenin the future is foreseen• More assissting devices and even more More assissting devices and even more

distracting devices in future carsdistracting devices in future cars

• Other demands on the future car driverOther demands on the future car driver

• More difficult to predict effects of new More difficult to predict effects of new technology technology

• Increased demands on personalized Increased demands on personalized systemssystems

• More restrictions will be implementedMore restrictions will be implemented

Suggestions for innovative Suggestions for innovative actionsactions• Encourage politicians (and researchers) Encourage politicians (and researchers)

to engage in establishment of a modern to engage in establishment of a modern regulation of licensing of car drivers regulation of licensing of car drivers

• Develop new harmonized rules on the Develop new harmonized rules on the EU-level based on scientific evidenceEU-level based on scientific evidence

• Develop accurate and harmonized Develop accurate and harmonized requirements for an acceptable car requirements for an acceptable car driverdriver

• More focus on driving capabilityMore focus on driving capability

Suggestions . . .Suggestions . . . contin.contin.

• More sophisticated tests of driving More sophisticated tests of driving capabilitycapability

• More lenient application of current More lenient application of current regulationsregulations

• Allow people with minor field-of-view Allow people with minor field-of-view defects in peripheral parts of the defects in peripheral parts of the visual field to drive with restrictionsvisual field to drive with restrictions

• Probabalistic risk assessment of each Probabalistic risk assessment of each patient depending on test resultspatient depending on test results

Suggestions . . .Suggestions . . . contin.contin.

• Allow patients to demonstrate their driving Allow patients to demonstrate their driving skills before their licence is withdrawnskills before their licence is withdrawn

• Make it compulsory for people with doubtful Make it compulsory for people with doubtful test scores to test driving skills in a car test scores to test driving skills in a car simulatorsimulator

• Most patients with field-of-view deficienses are Most patients with field-of-view deficienses are capable to improve their scanning behaviour capable to improve their scanning behaviour by systematic training and thereby by systematic training and thereby compensate their loss to a large extentcompensate their loss to a large extent

Suggestions . . .Suggestions . . . contin.contin.

• More research on: More research on: – interactionsinteractions in the traffic environment in the traffic environment– relationship between field-of-view testing and relationship between field-of-view testing and

practical driving capabilitypractical driving capability– integrative assistant technologyintegrative assistant technology in driving in driving

environmentsenvironments

• Start collecting relevant statistical data Start collecting relevant statistical data concerning illnesses and car driving and concerning illnesses and car driving and interventions directed towards car driversinterventions directed towards car drivers

Suggestions . . .Suggestions . . . contin.contin.

• More relevant tests with a coupling to More relevant tests with a coupling to driving skills are proposed, such asdriving skills are proposed, such as– Stress profile test (multiple) connected to Stress profile test (multiple) connected to

all visual testsall visual tests– Elaborated Stroop Color Word test Elaborated Stroop Color Word test

especially useful for stroke patients and especially useful for stroke patients and patients with foreign mother thoungepatients with foreign mother thounge

– Test of simultaneous capacityTest of simultaneous capacity– Memory testsMemory tests– Emotional stability testEmotional stability test

Suggestions . . .Suggestions . . . contin.contin.

• Reaction Time testReaction Time test

• Tracking testTracking test

• Inference testInference test

• Decision capability during insecure Decision capability during insecure conditions (prospect theory)conditions (prospect theory)

• Subjective time testSubjective time test

• Subjective self rating scales of Subjective self rating scales of relevant dimensions for car drivingrelevant dimensions for car driving

Suggestions . . .Suggestions . . . contin.contin.

• Visual acuity testVisual acuity test

• Vigilance testVigilance test

• Esterman testEsterman test

• Perceptual flow testPerceptual flow test

• Contrast sensitivity testContrast sensitivity test

• Colour testColour test

• Glare sensitivity testGlare sensitivity test

Suggestions . . .Suggestions . . . contin.contin.

• Psycho-physiologigal tests may include;Psycho-physiologigal tests may include;– Respiration frequency (resp. sinus arythmia)Respiration frequency (resp. sinus arythmia)– CO2 during exhalationCO2 during exhalation– Oxygen saturationOxygen saturation– Peripheral pulsePeripheral pulse– ECG (especially hart rate variability)ECG (especially hart rate variability)– EEGEEG– EMGEMG– Finger temperature (very sensitive!)Finger temperature (very sensitive!)

Suggestions . . .Suggestions . . . contin.contin.

• Eye-point-of-gaze testEye-point-of-gaze test–Eye trackingEye tracking–Head trackingHead tracking

• Scene camerasScene cameras

• Video monitoring of car driverVideo monitoring of car driver

• Instructor ratings of traffic behaviourInstructor ratings of traffic behaviour

• Tranparent and understandable test Tranparent and understandable test protocolsprotocols

Encourage (subsidize) patients to use Encourage (subsidize) patients to use ADAS and IVIS to facilitate driving, f. ADAS and IVIS to facilitate driving, f. ex.ex. SS

• Automatic gear boxAutomatic gear box

• Head up displaysHead up displays

• Anti collission warning systemsAnti collission warning systems

• Blind spot warning systemsBlind spot warning systems

• Night vision systemsNight vision systems

• Navigation systemsNavigation systems

• Vocie control Vocie control

• Anti slip systemsAnti slip systems

• Automated breaking systemsAutomated breaking systems

Encourage use of Encourage use of simulationssimulationsand simulator based design and simulator based design ofofsupportsupportsystemssystems

The simulator facility at LIUThe simulator facility at LIU

Control roomControl room