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On‐Road Assessment of Driving Performance in Bilateral Vestibular‐Deficient Patients
Author(s) -
MacDougall Hamish G.,
Moore Steven T.,
Black Ross A.,
Jolly Neryla,
Curthoys Ian S.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2008.03733.x
Subject(s) - vestibular system , gaze , physical medicine and rehabilitation , audiology , medicine , vestibulo–ocular reflex , reflex , vestibular rehabilitation , righting reflex , vestibule , psychology , neuroscience , psychoanalysis
This study measured on‐road driving behavior in subjects with bilateral vestibular loss (BVL). Data included point‐of‐regard (what the driver is looking at and attending to), gaze stability (the performance of the vestibulo‐ocular reflex), and head movement, during complex maneuvers such as changing lanes, cornering, pulling into traffic, and parking. Subjective and objective measures showed few differences between BVL subjects and age‐matched controls, and that it is possible to drive well with little or no peripheral vestibular function. This has important implications for driver licensing, road‐safety policy, and for the potential successful rehabilitation of vestibular patients. Patients with unilateral vestibular dysfunction may have more difficulty driving than their bilateral counterparts.