A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEARING ACUITY AND DRIVING AN AUTOMOBILE

A six-point questionnaire designed to provide additional information on available statistics, a description of the importance of the relationship between safe driving and normal hearing, hearing test for license applicants, laws which restrict hearing impaired drivers, laws pertaining to auditory warning signals revealed that: We do not have valid and reliable statistics pertaining to the significance of the relationship between hearing acuity and auto fatalities in our country at this time. Normal hearing is important in relation to safe driving; Hearing impaired and deaf drivers can compensate for their impairment with the proper attitude and training, increased alertness, rearview mirrors, and, in some cases, a hearing aid; No state in our country administers an audiometric hearing test to license applicants; About 45% of the status indicate that they administer a "voice" or a "conversation" hearing test during the license examination procedure(s). The remaining states do not administer a hearing test of any kind; No state prohibits issuance of a drivers license to a person strictly on the basis of deafness or hearing impairment; About 45% of the states have some restrictions pertaining to the use of rearview mirror(s) and/or hearing aid(s). All of the states responding to the questionnaire indicated the existence of laws pertaining to the use of auditory warning signals. A study of the state accident report forms have shown that only four states inquire if the driver(s) involved in an accident have some degree of hearing impairment. No specific reference was made to a defective horn on any of the state accident report forms. Further study on the relationship between the deaf, the hard of hearing, and the sense of normal hearing in relation to driving is imperative.

• Corporate Authors:

  Grant Wood Area Education Agency

  Cedar Rapids, IA  United States 
• Authors:
  • Fisher, L I
• Publication Date: 1977-6

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 85 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alertness; Auditory perception; Automobile drivers; Deaf persons; Deafness; Driver licenses; Driver training; Drivers; Hearing loss; Questionnaires; Rearview mirrors; Standards; Statistics; Traffic regulations
• Uncontrolled Terms: Traffic laws
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00158438
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 29 1977 12:00AM