Road Sign Recognition during Computer Testing versus Driving Simulator Performance for Stroke and Stroke+Aphasia Groups

Driving is essential to maintaining independence. For most Americans preserving personal mobility is a key element to retaining jobs, friends, activities and the basic necessities to maintain a household. This is particularly true for older people. However, as the general age of the US increases, more and more people are becoming at greater risk for neurologic diseases such as stroke. Brain damage from stroke can affect physical mobility, sensorimotor, cognition, communication, visual perception, and visual processing which are all critical processes needed for driving. Currently, there is no consistent way to determine when a person can return to driving poststroke. Most driving studies exclude people with poststroke aphasia (PWA). However, aphasia may result in the inability to recognize and interpret the words, symbols, and gestures on road signs, which will impact safe driving. This paper presents the results of a recent study that tested road sign interpretation tasks among groups of healthy and poststroke older drivers to assess the effects of poststroke aphasia on driving. The results showed that aphasia significantly impacted accuracy and response time of road sign interpretation. More importantly, however, as language and symbol complexity increased on road signs, the aphasia-affected drivers performed with less accuracy and required more time. Although poststroke aphasia has not been taken into account in most stroke-related driving research, these findings suggest further research is warranted and may have implications for the design of road signs and for healthcare professionals who make decisions about when a PWA may safely return to driving.

• Record URL:
  http://martrec.uark.edu/reports/road-sign-recognition-during-computer-testing.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

  Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States 

  Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC)

  University of Arkansas
  4190 Bell Engineering Center
  Fayetteville, AR  United States  72701

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Donovan, Neila J
  • Savage, Meghan C
  • Varnado, Chantelle
  • Brown, Caitlin
• Publication Date: 2015-7-25

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 20p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged drivers; Highway safety; Human factors; Traffic signs
• Uncontrolled Terms: Aphasia (Medical condition); Stroke (Medical condition); Traffic sign recognition
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01575523
• Record Type: Publication
• Contract Numbers: DTRT13-G-UTC50
• Files: UTC, TRIS, RITA, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 3 2015 10:39AM