Conference Proceeding
Authors: Ergun Uc (University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA) , Matthew Rizzo (University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA) , Steven Anderson (University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA) , Jessica Lawrence (University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA) , Jeffrey Dawson (Veterans Affairs Medical Center of Iowa City, Iowa City, IA)
Parkinson’s disease (PD) impairs driving performance. In this pilot study, four drivers with PD (selected based on poor road driving performance in the past) participated in a rehabilitation program using a driving simulator. Two different training drives (#1- multiple intersections of varying visibility and traffic load, where an incurring vehicle posed a crash risk, #2- various scenarios on decision making, hazard perception and response) were administered in each session (total 3 sessions once every 1-2 weeks) with immediate feedback after the drives. We observed reduction in crashes in drive #1 and improved scores on drive #2 in the simulator. In addition, 3 subjects showed marked improvements in their total error counts on a standard road test between baseline and post-training sessions, one subject stayed stable. These findings suggest that our simulator training program is feasible and potentially useful in impaired drivers with PD.
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How to Cite: Uc, E. , Rizzo, M. , Anderson, S. , Lawrence, J. & Dawson, J. (2011) “Driver Rehabilitation in Parkinson’s Disease Using a Driving Simulator: A Pilot Study”, Driving Assessment Conference. 6(2011). doi: https://doi.org/10.17077/drivingassessment.1404