Development of a simulation-based experimental research framework for the characterization of cannabis-related driving impairment

Abstract

Recreational use of cannabis has been recently legalized in Canada, however, its impact on driving performance and safety is not well-defined. One experimental tool that can be implemented to better examine the link between cannabis use and driving impairment is driving simulation. Customized driving scenarios can be created to target and evaluate hypothesized effects of cannabis on driving behaviors. This paper presents a framework for the evidence-based design of driving scenarios that aim to characterize cannabis-related driving impairment. The framework begins by considering the effects of cannabis on sensory, motor, and cognitive abilities, as well as how impairments in these abilities could negatively affect driving performance. Next, we examine how these negative effects on driving could be measured in a controlled, repeatable, and safe manner using simulators, to map the specific effects of cannabis on particular aspects of driving performance. Last, we describe how customized driving simulator scenario elements could be designed to challenge the targeted driving abilities that are affected by cannabis. In addition to detailing this experimental framework, a prototype scenario developed for DriverLab at KITE - Toronto Rehabilitation Institute is presented, but the expectation is that the proposed approaches could be broadly implemented across a range of simulators.