Unfamiliar Roads Research Articles

The Yellow Light Problem in a Biological Context

Driving along an unfamiliar road, you see the upcoming light turn from green to yellow. Decision time … do you proceed through the yellow, do you apply the brakes, or do you speed up? The decision is dependent on variables such as the yellow light time, your response time, and your speed. Creating a model for making that decision is an excellent exercise for students in applying their knowledge of kinematics. The yellow light problem was first introduced in operations research and has been reframed in a number of traffic, engineering, and physics papers and curricula. Most recently, I have used the yellow light problem in an introductory physics class for life science majors (IPLS) and had students present “yellow light models” for biological systems. This approach has generated interest, physics relevance for students, and novel insights into biology for me.

Round-trip driving effects on driving performances and mental workload under different traffic rules

This study investigates the effect of switching between different traffic rules (left-versus right-hand traffic) on driving performance and mental workload. A driving simulation environment was developed according to the real environment. Two urban roads with different traffic systems were simulated. Twenty participants executed intersection turns and continuous car-following behavior in four simulated driving stages, including driving with familiar, unfamiliar, second time unfamiliar, and back to familiar traffic rules. The mean and standard deviations for speed, distance headway, and the standard deviation of lateral position were recorded as driving performance. Mental workload was determined using the NASA-TLX and Rating Scale Mental Effort questionnaires. One-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the differences between the four driving stages using subjective and objective measures. The results showed that significant differences were obtained in all measures when driving in the four driving situations, except for the speed standard deviation. The car-following behavior was the most unsafe (significantly larger standard deviations for distance headway and mental workload) when driving in unfamiliar road traffic compared with the other stages. When driving under unfamiliar traffic rules for the second time, the mental workload was significantly relieved and the lane-keeping ability significantly improved. The results indicated that providing an adaptive runway for drivers to familiarize themselves with different traffic rules is necessary to improve driving performance and safety. These findings provide useful information for designing bridges linking two places with different traffic rules to increase traffic safety.

Familiar Road Loyalty Modeling Considering the Effect of Truckers’ Emotional Value

This paper investigates the internal mechanism of the trucker’s willingness to use familiar roads by constructing a structural equation model of road loyalty, in which the influence of the trucker’s “emotional value” is additionally considered. The proposed method can be used to understand the trucker’s psychological needs to improve the level of road service. Based on questionnaire data, AMOS software was used to analyze the correlations and corresponding parameters among 10 latent variables and 30 explicit variables. The model results show that, in addition to the value of roads as a commodity, the emotional dependence of truckers in the process of using them also has an impact on the perceived value of road services. The results of model index scores show that truck drivers’ loyalty to the road does not represent their satisfaction, and familiarity with the road is still “forced” to be the first choice of most truckers due to the cost and trust in the reliability of unfamiliar roads when the road service quality and experience do not meet truckers’ expectations. The latent variable scores indicate that improvements in “road safety” and “costs” are the key points to improve truckers’ overall satisfaction with road freight access.

Literature Review on Vision-based Traffic Sign Detection and Recognition using Artificial Intelligence

Abstract: With the expansion in the number of vehicles on the road, the development of technology, and other factors, safety has elevated to the top of automotive industries. Following traffic laws and regulations are essential in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to prevent collisions. Over the past few decades, traffic sign recognition has gained significant interest due to its quick processing speed and the reduction of human interactions, which lowers risk with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence. While trying to focus on the road, drivers sometimes miss signage on the side of the road, which could be vulnerable for both them and the pedestrians. If the driver could be alerted effectively without having to change their focus, this issue may be avoided. When a sign is detected and recognised, the Traffic Sign Detection and Recognition (TSDR) system alerts the driver to any approaching signs. In addition to ensuring road safety, this also gives drivers a little more comfort while negotiating challenging or unfamiliar roads. This paper provides a comprehensive survey on traffic sign detection and recognition with details of algorithms, architectures, and methods implemented. Based on the investigation of several experts, this literature study was completed and may be used as a future reference

How Drivers’ Risk Perception Changes While Driving on Familiar and Unfamiliar Roads: A Comparison of Female and Male Drivers

Road safety is the result of the interaction between human, vehicle, and environment-related factors. Road familiarity, as a human- and environment-related factor in road safety, was investigated in the present study. More specifically, the main aim of the current study is to investigate the subjective risk evaluations of drivers on familiar and unfamiliar roads. A total sample of 479 drivers, 278 males and 201 females, participated in the present study, and filled out the demographic information questionnaire and Risk Perception Inventory. The results showed that drivers evaluated risk as higher when driving on an unfamiliar road as compared to driving in a familiar road. Moreover, females reported a higher risk perception level than males on both familiar and unfamiliar roads. As a result, familiarity with the road was evaluated as an essential factor in the risk evaluation of drivers. The results were discussed with regard to their implications for road safety in light of the relevant literature.

Identification of Stress State for Drivers Under Different GPS Navigation Modes

It is commonly known that Global Positioning System (GPS) can alleviate travelling difficulties of automobile drivers, and generally we hold the view that it reduces the driver's stress when they are in unfamiliar road conditions. In this research, an in-laboratory experiment and an in-car experiment are conducted to find out whether GPS instructions can reduce or may induce additional mental stress of drivers. Electrocardiography (ECG) signals are collected in the experiments and the extracted heart rate variability (HRV) features are used for analysis. Three binary classifiers, specifically Support Vector Machine, k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) and Random Forest, are trained based on the data collected in the in-laboratory experiment, where the stress state is elicited by the Stroop color word Test. The k-NN classifier outperforms the other two classifiers, and thus is applied to the data collected in the in-car experiment, to identify drivers' stress state under different driving events, such as waiting for traffic lights, turning, under GPS instructions, and traffic conditions like overtaking, or changing lanes. During each event, whether the driver is in stress or relaxed state for each time instant is predicted based on the trained classifier. The percentages of time that the driver is in stress state for each type of events are computed. It shows that GPS instructions cause the second largest time-percentage of stress state, lower than that caused by the turning event, but higher than that caused by the events of waiting for traffic lights and other traffic conditions.

You look familiar: Learner driver hazard identification on familiar and unfamiliar roads

Road traffic injuries remain a leading cause of death worldwide, especially for individuals aged 15-29 years. The ability to perceive and respond appropriately to hazards while driving is closely related to driving experience and schemata. Although many studies focus on differences between novice and experienced drivers, the learner driver population is often under-represented. In this paper we present stage one of a longitudinal study of learner drivers designed to assess hazard identification over the period spent learning to drive under supervision. Participants viewed videos of driving scenarios and were asked to identify hazards and potential hazards. There were ten videos, five from local familiar locations and five from an unfamiliar foreign location. Findings showed no significant difference between the locations, whereas there were significant differences between the number of hazards across the five presented road types (motorway, hinterland, urban, suburban, city). This suggests that with limited driving experience, the schemata adopted by learner drivers in local areas are readily applied to areas that they have not previously driven in.

Does familiarity breed competence or contempt? Effects of driver experience, road type and familiarity on hazard perception

Driving is one of the most complex and dangerous tasks that is regularly performed by most adults. Whereas most research examines performance in novel situations, most everyday driving occurs in highly familiar settings, such as our daily commute. Here we compared drivers’ hazard identification on familiar roads with similar but unfamiliar roads, for five road types: city streets, suburban streets, urban roads, mountain roads, and motorways. Participants were 45 experienced drivers with on average 17.6 years driving experience ( SD = 5.2), and 32 novices with on average 6.2 months solo driving ( SD = 3.5). Experienced drivers identified more hazards than novices, regardless of road type, but the magnitude of the effect was surprisingly small. The overall effect of location familiarity on hazard identification was not statistically significant, but there were significant effects of road type and significant interactions between familiarity and road type, which suggests researchers should be cautious when generalizing results obtained from one road context to another.

The influence of road familiarity on distracted driving activities and driving operation using naturalistic driving study data

This paper analyzed the influence of familiarity on the involvement of secondary tasks and driving operation using naturalistic driving study (NDS) data. Distracted driving activities were extracted from face videos captured in 557 trips, including 501 trips on familiar roads and 56 trips on unfamiliar roads. These trips were completed by 155 drivers using their own vehicles during daytime hours under good weather conditions. The data showed the frequency of distracted driving activities and duration time were higher on familiar roads compared to unfamiliar roads. More types of secondary tasks were found on familiar roads. Focusing on objects was the most common distracted driving activity on familiar roads. The average time drivers used to eat or drink was highest (8.67 s) on familiar roads. The time drivers spent checking their cell phone was high on both familiar roads and unfamiliar roads. Since driving operation is directly related to crash risk, this paper also analyzed the difference of driving operation on familiar roads and unfamiliar roads. The speed profiles were generated on well-known versus unfamiliar roads. It was shown that drivers were more likely to be speeding and select a short distance to deceleration near the intersections. The findings indicated that distracted driving phenomenon was more serious on familiar roads.

Road safety education for older drivers: Evaluation of a classroom-based training initiative

Around the world, a growing proportion of drivers are aged 70 or over. Although accident rates for older drivers are lower than for young or novice drivers, increased frailty and slowed reactions mean that older drivers are at higher risk of death or serious injury when involved in a road collision. The objectives of this study were to: (a) identify driving knowledge and self-regulatory strategies among a group of older drivers with a view to planning future on-road training; (b) measure driver self-assessments of ability and confidence before and after classroom training delivered by driving instructors; (c) evaluate the utility and acceptability of training courses for older drivers using questionnaires and focus groups; d) examine the characteristics of course participants.142 drivers aged ≥75 completed a two-hour classroom-based driving course and took part in the evaluation: 94 aged 75–79, 48 aged ≥80, 68% male. Main reasons for taking part were to update knowledge, improve driving and check they were safe to drive. Results showed that females were more likely than males to avoid driving in difficult conditions (at night, in bad weather, unfamiliar roads). More drivers aged 75–79 said they did not restrict their driving (52, 57%) compared to drivers aged ≥80 (19, 43%). Pre-course, males rated their driving confidence and ability significantly higher than females. Post-course, self-ratings of confidence and ability were unchanged for 76 (60%) drivers. However, two-thirds reported improved knowledge and 80% said they would change their driving behaviour as a result of the course. Focus group results suggest that competent drivers are more likely to attend educational courses than unsafe drivers. This study provides preliminary evidence that classroom-based training can initiate behaviour change among older drivers. Future research will examine the effectiveness of on-road training in this age group.

Not all minds wander equally: The influence of traits, states and road environment factors on self-reported mind wandering during everyday driving

Inattention is a road safety problem, but few studies have focused specifically on mind wandering during everyday driving. This paper explores differences in self-reported mind wandering according to driver demographic characteristics (including age and gender), cognitive traits (such as tendency toward cognitive failure or mindful attention), states (such as feeling tired or stressed) and road environment factors (such as route familiarity). Five hundred and two participants (113 male, average age 44.4 years, SD=14.0years) completed a series of questionnaires (Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ)), as well as study-specific questions about mind wandering during different personal states and across a range of road and traffic situations. All respondents reported mind wandering during driving at least some of the time. Mind wandering was more likely to be reported on familiar roads than on unfamiliar roads and when drivers are tired. Drivers who reported relatively more mind wandering were younger, reported less mindful attention in daily life, more cognitive failures, and more driving violations and lapses. Together, the findings suggest that mind wandering is common in everyday driving, however any link with crash risk remains unclear. Future research using self-report and naturalistic methods could provide more insight into relationships between mind wandering, error and crash risk.

Remembering Johnnie.

On Being a Doctor15 July 2014Remembering JohnnieKatherine C. Chretien, MDKatherine C. Chretien, MDFrom Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M14-0086 Audio Reading - “Remembering Johnnie” Audio. Michael A. LaCombe, MD, Annals Associate Editor, reads "Physical Diagnosis," by J. Coulehan. Your browser does not support the audio element. Audio player progress bar Step backward in current audio track Play current audio trackPause current audio track Step forward in current audio track Mute current audio trackUnmute current audio track 00:00/ SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Driving on unfamiliar roads in Southeast DC, I thought about how much greener it was out here than I had imagined. Southeast is a part of DC with higher crime and poverty than most areas of the district. I guess I was expecting something grittier and less yielding than the leafy boughs framing neat storefronts and the occasional gas station.It was midday on a spring Wednesday, my pager was on, and I had to be back at the hospital later to check in with my resident team. Now I was on a mission to find a funeral home.I ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC.Corresponding Author: Katherine C. Chretien, MD, Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 50 Irving Street NW, Medical Service (111), Washington, DC 20422; e-mail, Katherine.[email protected]gov. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement Audio Reading - “Remembering Johnnie” Audio. Michael A. LaCombe, MD, Annals Associate Editor, reads "Physical Diagnosis," by J. Coulehan. Your browser does not support the audio element. Audio player progress bar Step backward in current audio track Play current audio trackPause current audio track Step forward in current audio track Mute current audio trackUnmute current audio track 00:00/ FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 15 July 2014Volume 161, Issue 2Page: 155-156KeywordsAfrican American peopleBlood pressureCombined antiretroviral therapyEmergency departmentEmotionsNursesSleepThermometersThoraxTriage ePublished: 15 July 2014 Issue Published: 15 July 2014 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2014 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...

Analysis of the Difference between the Euclidean Distance and the Actual Road Distance in Brazil

Soybean is a commodity that has an important influence on the Brazilian economy because it accounts for the largest share among the grains in the export market. Its main production centers excel in regions far from major consuming centers, requiring long commutes especially in road transport. The distance is the most influential factor in transport costs and is directly related to the freight. To define actual road distances, particularly in unfamiliar roads, it is necessary to use a correction factor. In addition to estimating a better correction factor, the paper aims to contribute by developing a procedure to identify this factor. This paper will analyze the relationships between existing Euclidean distances in numerous points, the producing centers and Brazilian's ports, performing comparisons between the correction factor obtained by calculation in this article with the factors obtained by other authors, also seeking to relate the road distances calculated based on intervals and freight. The advantage of obtaining a more accurate factor k is to allow the results of different location, such as p- median be more accurate. The result was satisfactory when comparing with the existing literature.

Driving Habits of Older Adults

BACKGROUND: The older adult population is the fastest growing cohort in Kansas, resulting in a growing number of older drivers. With age, changes in the ability to drive can compromise safety. Although it is challenging for health care providers to identify unsafe older drivers, it would be helpful to know what common driving habits they share. This exploratory study evaluated differences in the self-reported driving behaviors of older drivers in urban and rural settings of Kansas. METHODS: A one-page, 19-item survey was administered to patients over age 65 in the waiting rooms of two physician medical offices in urban Kansas City and rural Junction City, Kansas. RESULTS: A total of 105 surveys were completed. Rural drivers reported they were involved in approximately 9% more accidents than the urban drivers (p = 0.166). Rural drivers were more likely to drive in poor weather conditions, such as snow, ice, fog, and rain (p = 0.032). Eyeglasses were worn by 10% of the rural cohort compared to 37.8% of the urban cohort (p = 0.0044). More urban drivers reported they did not want to make changes to their current driving habits (71% vs 40%; p = 0.004). Urban drivers drove a longer distance to reach their destinations. Drivers from both environments avoided unfamiliar roads and did not use cell phones or global positioning system (GPS) devices while driving. CONCLUSIONS: By understanding the habits of older drivers, healthcare providers can tailor safe driving messages to support safe driving and enhance patient safety. Physicians could benefit from knowing that older rural drivers wore their glasses less frequently, trended towards having more accidents, and were more prone to drive during inclement weather. Urban Kansas drivers drove further to get to their destinations than their rural Kansas counterparts. Understanding these driving habits and tailoring their prevention messages accordingly may help health care providers in Kansas improve older patient’s safe driving behaviors.

Coping with suffering: A thematic analysis of the lifelong illness of cancer patients

'Cancer' is a painful experience that severally affects the life of its victim and his family often forces it in a new and sometimes difficult and trying condition and always offers the opportunities for new depth, intimacy and connectedness. These obstacles may seem to be nastiest at the very first glimpse. But as one move forward develop a knack of dealing with them. The cancer experience is like living in the face of uncertainty, much like traveling along an unfamiliar road without any maps or sense of direction. This kind of journey can be overwhelming since the path is so elusive and fuel of uncertainty whether the outlook for recovery is good or poor, the days go by, one at a time and patient and the family must learn to live each day and hence move on with journey. It however, becomes a part of life to them who are unfortunate to come under its grip. In contemporary period its incidence is increasing. Its outcomes, like other disease are also mediated by dispositional and supportive factors, with this in view the present work was planned to understand the lives of cancer patient. It also focuses on belief system world view and attitude of the cancer patient which play important role in coping with it. In order to create a context for this humble effort the introductory part of this paper presents a conceptual analysis and relevant studies.TheoreticalframeworkThis research study is situated within a broadly based Psychoontological model and data is viewed through a variety of lenses including phenomenology methodology.Over the past 20 years, psycho-oncology has developed as one of the model of Oncology. This area deals with the two psychological dimension of cancer: the patient; families and medical stuffs emotional reactions to cancer and its treatment (psychosocial); and the psychological and botanical factors that influence cancer risk and survival. The dimensions dealing with the psychological, social and spiritual were neglected for many years in most countries around the world. The focus was almost on the physical aspects of illness. Psychosocial problems were hardly addressed in their case those suffering from unrecognized anxiety and depression.The word cancer was equated with death for centuries because there was no treatment for it until the surgical removal became possible after the introduction of an aesthesia of the last half the 19th century. The disease was so frightening that the diagnosis was withheld from the patient. It was considered cruel to reveal it, so only family was given the facts. This has been called the 'Conspiracy of silence' which left the patient feeling isolated and alone. The result was a false cheerfulness and deception from others that did not permit patients an opportunity to express their distress and concerns to others. Several historical factors have led to greater emphasis on psychological and social aspects of cancer. These include: the shifting of attitude away from fatalism about cancer, the mare open disclosure of the diagnosis and therefore mare open discussions with others; greater dialogue between doctor and patient; discussion about treatment options and asking for their participation in decision making; and the recognition that cancer prevention and screening depends in large measure on changing behaviors and attitudes.In recent years, research in psycho oncology has progressed to the point that it is possible to present a research model that places the various aspects into an integrated perspective. Komuith (1991) has proposed the model presented in Fig. 1. As can be seen cancer and its treatment is the independent variable, the outcome variables are survival and health related quality of life. A major advance has patient's own reports. Patient can now report their level of function in physical, psychological, social, work and several domains of their life. The mediating variables and intervention researcher seek to study these variables (demography, coping skills, beliefs and personality) that impact upon the outcome. …

Bill, Wyoming

Bill, Wyoming Twister Marquiss (bio) “I was standing there in the doorway in your way, talking about a lover’s crazy dream and all the things in between. You were standing there in the highway in my way, screaming out a message to the sky and all your reasons why.” —“Your Point of View” by songwriter Angie McClure This evening your children watch a Discovery Channel feature on Yellowstone Park. Indian-style on the floor in front of you, they press handprints into your apartment’s neutral, stain-resistant carpet. You fold into the corner of the couch behind them, peeking around a set of pigtails at bears, buffalo, and Old Faithful. Pools of steaming color. Waterfalls. You pore over your day at work: pulling apart a Styrofoam coffee cup in spaced intervals to break your cubicle’s monotony. You long for beef tips and noodles, but your wife’s not home and you can’t cook. Maybe she’s your ex-wife. Maybe the kids are on loan for a week or two. The boy is ten, the girl eight. Vibrant colors and bear cubs on TV, no doltish Gallery Furniture (will save you money!) advertisements. You stretch, yawn deep, waddle to the kitchen for a box of Kraft mac & cheese. None. The kids are lost in Yellowstone, so you open the door to the balmy world and walk to the car, keys jingling. Your aging Taurus wagon’s air conditioning will be powerless against greenhouse temperatures for the short drive to a nearby Kroger grocery. You fall into the driver’s seat, one foot on the concrete. The door-ajar chime pinches your ears. You keep a rolled atlas in the glove compartment. A 1993 Rand McNally, cover torn away the day your wife drove to Columbus to cook beef tips and noodles for someone else. Or was it stir-fry? On page 108, you trace Wyoming roads with your middle finger, the habitual “fuck you” gesture she abhorred. Your bird glides north above Interstate 25, then lands at Douglas before flying west to Yellowstone’s white block in grid B-5. The pause startles you. Wander. Tiny letters at the center of grid D-12, pull the map close: Bill. You smile, maybe feign a laugh. Say it. Bill. Bill, Wyoming. Grin. Kick the open door’s armrest with your loafer and ignore the chime. Bill’s just a dot on Highway 59. A glance at the mileage chart and you know the place is thirty miles from nothing in every direction. Remember sophomore geography? Remember your solution to prison overcrowding? “Put a hurricane fence around Wyoming,” you said. “Rolls of razor wire up top. Send them all there!” [End Page 421] You thumb past Canada to the population index on page 128. Frontier, Wyoming, claims 150 inhabitants, but Bill is too small for the register. Chuckle. Toss back twenty pages and tap your “fuck you” on the dot. You don’t know that you’ve ignored other laughable names—Yoder, Halfway, Point of Rocks. You visualize. Imagine a trip. Four days on unfamiliar roads, roughly 1,600 miles from here to Yellowstone. Stops in Denver and Casper, traveling companions and ghosts. Bears and buffalo and Bill. Curiosity piqued, you exit at Douglas, refuel at a Conoco station. You sidetrack north on Highway 59. Only thirty miles out of the way, right? Flat grassland and low hills. Maybe green, maybe brown. No trees. Snow fences along the roadside to divert winter winds. Fresh black pavement and bright yellow stripes. Your tape deck, attached by wire to a hand-me-down Kenwood CD adapter, plays Sheryl Crow. You wish you owned a digital camera to capture this vacuum for a long-overdue geography project. Maybe it’s late afternoon. Southbound trains grind past your window. The locomotive chains are a mile long each, cars loaded over the top with neat rows of ebony coal. Your children press against the windows, your daughter leans over your lap and tugs at the wheel, imagination steering toys on scaled-down railroad tracks. They ask about the BNSF logo on the engines’ sides. You don’t know about the Burlington Northern...

Self-regulatory driving practices among older adults: Health, age and sex effects

The purpose of this study was to better understand how older adults self-regulate driving, and to identify differences by age, sex, and health-related functioning. Michigan drivers over age 64 were surveyed by telephone ( n = 961, age [ μ = 74.2, σ = 5.8], 56% female) about their driving-related behaviors, physical functioning, and health. Respondents were presented with scenarios involving driving to an important appointment under adverse conditions (rainy stormy weather, on alternate route in heavy freeway traffic, 200-mile trip on unfamiliar roads). Generalized logit models examined outcomes for each scenario: driving as usual, driving with modifications, and not driving. Results indicate that the effect of sex on self-regulation was significant and greater than that of age and physical functioning. Women were more likely to self-regulate by not driving. Odds ratios and 95% confidence limits for each scenario for women vs. men are 6.8 (3.8–2.0), 6.5 (3.6–12.0), and 17.7 (11.0–28.6). The effect of sex on self-regulation by modifying driving was smaller and significant only in scenarios 2 and 3. Women were more likely then men to modify driving for scenario 2 (odds ratio, 3.0 (2.0–4.5)) and scenario 3 (odds ratio 4.4 (3.1–0.1)). Overall, the study finds the relative effect of sex on self-regulation greater than that of age and physical functioning for conditions examined.

Drivers' Information Requirements when Navigating in an Urban Environment

Navigating in unfamiliar road environments is a common and demanding cognitive activity. If this cannot be accomplished successfully, there are implications for increased driver workload, delays due to navigation errors, potentially unsafe road behaviour such as late lane changes, and inappropriate traffic management. To enable successful navigation through such environments, it is necessary to understand what the navigation task entails, and what a driver's corresponding information requirements are. This paper reports the results of a study that sought to identify what information is used by drivers when navigating within a range of urban driving environments, how this information is used, and what the implications are for the design of navigation aids.

Older people's driving habits, visual abilities, and subjective assessment of daily visual functioning

To explore the relationship between the status of daily visual functions, as measured by Mangione et al.'s (1992) ADVS, and: (a) visual functions that are related to driving; (b) the tendency of elderly people to drive in different visual conditions; and (c) the reasons older people give for limiting their driving under different conditions. The subjects were 80 elderly people, ages 64-85. Seventy three of these people still drove and seven had quit driving. Each participant was individually administered (a) a subjective questionnaire containing the ADVS and questions from the Established Populations for the Epidemiological Studies of the Elderly (EPESE); (b) objective measures of visual performance including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and visual search speed. Strong correlations were obtained between the responses to the subjective questionnaire and the objective measures of visual skills. Most subjects were cognizant of the changes in their quality of vision and changed their driving habits accordingly by avoiding driving at dark, on unfamiliar roads, and on long trips. There were also significant associations between the changes in driving behavior and performance on the vision tests. The ADVS can be used as a self-administered test of driving-related visual functioning, and is most relevant to self-restrictions in night driving.

The composite image

Abstract Some studies of art have the power to take the reader down a strange and unfamiliar road from which, on looking back, the whole history of art is seen from a new and revealing point of view. Others are merely useful compilations of information about a particular subject which are good to have if no other studies exist, but otherwise not note~orthy. An example of the former is William M. Ivins, Jr's, Prints and Visual Communication. An example of the latter is, I regret to say, Dawn Ades' Photomontage.