Accident; analysis and prevention
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Observational Study
Which visual measures affect change in driving difficulty after first eye cataract surgery?
To investigate self-reported driving difficulty before and after first eye cataract surgery and determine which visual measures are associated with changes in self-reported driving difficulty after surgery. ⋯ Contrast sensitivity rather than visual acuity was a significant factor affecting change in self-reported driving difficulty after first eye cataract surgery for bilateral patients. This has implications for driver licensing authorities worldwide that rely heavily on visual acuity as a measure of visual fitness to drive.
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Increasing rates of distraction-related motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) continue to raise concerns regarding driving safety. This study sought to evaluate a novel driving-related distraction, driving with a pet, as a risk factor for MVCs among older, community dwelling adults. Two thousand licensed drivers aged 70 and older were identified, of whom 691 reported pet ownership. ⋯ The current study demonstrates an increased risk of MVC involvement in those older drivers who always take a pet with them when they drive a vehicle. When confronted with an increased cognitive or physical workload while driving, elderly drivers in prior studies have exhibited slower cognitive performance and delayed response times in comparison to younger age groups. Further study of pet-related distracted driving behaviors among older drivers as well as younger populations with respect to driver safety and performance is warranted to appropriately inform the need for policy regulation on this issue.
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In France, the bicycle's modal share is stabilizing after a decline; in some of France's major cities, it has even increased since the 1990s. It is hence relevant to improve the knowledge of the injury risk associated with cycling, compared with other means of transport such as car, walking and powered two-wheeler (PTW) riding. ⋯ The higher risk for PTW riders is confirmed and quantified; it is very high. Decrease in injury rates seems more marked for cyclists; this may indicate the "safety in numbers" effect. Countermeasures for improving road safety could be implemented, especially for vulnerable road user types. However, they will not be sufficient to fill in the gap between the much higher risk for PTW riders and that of car occupants. Exposure-based injury rates can be a tool for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of policies and programs, and for comparisons between countries.
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Time dependent decrements in performance are characteristic of activities that are monotonous and require focused attention for an extended period of time. A vigilance task is a task that participants can perform without difficulty for a short period of time, but with time their performance becomes impaired. A real world example of such a vigilance task is prolonged highway driving. ⋯ Performance decrements (SDLP increment) as a function of time are seen after both drug and placebo treatment, following a similar pattern over distance/time traveled. However, whereas for some drugs SDLP differences between drug and placebo are constant, other drugs produce additional performance decrement that increases over distance traveled. It is concluded that driving tests of short duration (e.g. less than half an hour) may fail to detect drug-related impairment, because participants are capable of, at least in part, counteracting the impairment by increased effort and motivation to perform the test.