Current Research

On-Road Assessment of Driving Performance of Aging Drivers 

Principal Investigators: 

Dr. Johnell Brooks, Dr. Paul Venhovens

Graduate Students:

Vijay Bendigeri, Shayne K. McConomy 

Sponsors:

Clemson University, Greenville Hospital System, SCDOT

Brief Abstract: 

The average age of the U.S. population is growing. By 2025 it is expected that 25% of the U.S. population will be individuals over the age of 65. The two mayor missions of the larger research framework are a) Enable aging drivers to maximize independence as long as safely possible, b) Maximize solutions to assess the "total" driver, inside and outside of the vehicle, through interdisciplinary partnerships between universities, health care facilities, governmental agencies, and industry partnerships. As part of this larger research framework, this particular project will address the development and implementation of objective means to assess the ability to drive a road vehicle with a special focus on aging riders. The research will comprise building an instrumented vehicle equipped with various in-vehicle sensors (such as cameras, inertial sensors, global vehicle location and operator steering and pedal actions) that will be used to collect data from multiple subject as part of the driver rehabilitation process in a clinical setting which includes an on-road driving skill test. The data collected will be used to determine objective metrics that characterize the operator's skills of driving a vehicle. Once these metrics are known, assistive technologies can be developed and evaluated that enable aging drivers to maximize independence as long as safely possible. The measures could comprise augmentative aftermarket devices or may also include (automatic) vehicle adaptation in terms of response, performance, handling, seating, ride comfort, interior noise and human machine interface as part of its original design.

Impact:

The aging population is the primary benefactor of this research. The outcome will enable them to be more self-reliant and safer road users.

Project Schedule:

Instrumented vehicle completed by May 1, 2010