Roadway Sign Recognition During Computer Testing versus Driving Simulator Performance for Stroke and Stroke with Aphasia Groups

Stroke is one of the most prevalent disabling diseases in the United States. It is the fourth cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability (American Heart Association, 2014). Each year, 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke resulting in $73.7 billion stroke-related health care and rehabilitation cost in 2010 (AHA, 2014). Louisianians live in one of the 11 states that make up the "stroke belt" where there is a 10% higher rate of stroke than the rest of the country (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2009). Driving is "an essential activity of daily life…and a strong symbol of independence…" (p.89) (Kay, Bundy, Clemson, Cheal, & Glendenning, 2012). In Louisiana, the ability to drive is essential for removing oneself from harm's way during impending hurricanes. The literature has shown that stroke may impact pre-requisite skills needed to drive including physical mobility, sensorimotor, cognition, communication, visual perception, and visual processing (Akinwuntan, Wachtel, & Rosen, 2012; Donovan et al., 2008 ; Korner-Bitensky, 2012). UPDATE: 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 healthcare professionals who make decisions about when a PWA may safely return to driving. PROJECT IS COMPLETE.

• Record URL:
  http://evaccenter.lsu.edu
• Record URL:
  http://martrec.uark.edu/research/road-sign-recognition-during-computer-testing.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Project complete.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $93324.00
• Contract Numbers:

  DTRT13-G-UTC50

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  University Transportation Centers Program
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

  Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
  3418A Patrick Taylor Hall
  Baton Rouge, Louisiana  United States  70803
• Performing Organizations:

  Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

  Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
  3418A Patrick Taylor Hall
  Baton Rouge, Louisiana  United States  70803
• Principal Investigators:

  Donovan, Neila

• Start Date: 20131001
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20150630
• Source Data: RiP Project 36743

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cognition; Disability evaluation; Driver performance; Driving; Driving simulators; Experiments; Fatalities; Traffic signs
• Uncontrolled Terms: Stroke (Medical condition)
• Geographic Terms: Louisiana
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01573286
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center
• Contract Numbers: DTRT13-G-UTC50
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 21 2015 1:01AM