ARE ACTUAL DRIVING TESTS NECESSARY FOR EVALUATING DRUG SAFETY? MEDICINES AND ROAD TRAFFIC SAFETY

Details are given of a technique developed in the Netherlands to measure the performance of drivers to whom drugs have been administered. A test vehicle carrying measuring apparatus, the subjects, a safety controller and an experimenter travelled on a 100 km highway circuit. An electro-optical camera placed on top of the vehicle allows the continuous recording of the side-to-side motion of the vehicle against time as the driver attempts to maintain a steady position between two lane boundaries. When the driver perceives that his performance is becoming dangerous, he is ordered to stop. After the ingestion of many drugs, the subjects are unable to recognize their own impairment. The safety controller orders the driver to stop and, if necessary, completes the manoeuvre himself with dual controls. Speed control and variation are also measured. A study of ethanol was also carried out on a closed 24 km section of a secondary highway in the Netherlands. The effect of alcohol on driving performance was clearly demonstrated. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/1869868021
• Corporate Authors:

  CNS (Clinical Neuroscience) Publishers

  50 Ferry Street, Isle of Dogs
  London,   England 
• Authors:
  • O'Hanlon, J F
• Publication Date: 1988

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 81-85
• Serial:
  • Publication of: CNS (Clinical Neuroscience) Publishers
  • Publisher: CNS (Clinical Neuroscience) Publishers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcoholic beverages; Blood alcohol levels; Conferences; Driver performance; Drivers; Driving; Driving tests; Drugs; Handling characteristics; Highways; Impaired drivers; Intoxication; Personnel performance
• Geographic Terms: Netherlands
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver impairment
• ITRD Terms: 1553: Blood alcohol content; 8525: Conference; 1772: Driver; 1573: Driving test; 2242: Drugs; 2231: Drunkenness; 2755: Highway; 8078: Netherlands; 2205: Skill (road user); 1646: Vehicle handling
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00493025
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 1-869868-02-1
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1990 12:00AM