firemonkey wrote:
Abstract
Quote:
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the driving performance of drivers with autism spectrum disorders under complex driving conditions.
METHOD: Seventeen drivers with autism spectrum disorders and 18 typically developed drivers participated in a driving simulator trial. Prior to the assessment, participants completed the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire and measurements of cognitive and visual-motor ability. The driving simulation involved driving in an urban area with dense traffic and unpredictable events.
Could you please provide a link to the original article?
firemonkey wrote:
Quote:
RESULTS: In comparison with the typically developed group, drivers with autism spectrum disorders reported significantly more lapses in driving, committed more mistakes on the driving simulator, and were slower to react in challenging situations, such as driving through intersections with abrupt changes in traffic lights. However, they were also less likely to tailgate other vehicles, as measured by time-to-collision between vehicles, on the driving simulator.
No surprises here. Responding to abrupt changes, of any kind, has always been a problem for me, and is a known issue for many autistic people generally.
I never got a driver's license, out of fear that I could never be a safe driver due to my problems with multi-tasking.
firemonkey wrote:
Quote:
CONCLUSIONS: The performances of licensed drivers with autism spectrum disorders appeared to be safer in respect to car-following distance but were poorer in their response to challenging traffic situations. Driver education for individuals with autism spectrum disorders should focus on quick identification of hazards, prompt execution of responses, and effective allocation of attention to reduce lapses in driving.
These, alas, are the very things that many autistic drivers may be incapable of doing. Too much of a focus on these things would be kinda like trying to teach fish to fly.
It probably
would be a good idea to give autistic drivers additional simulator practice, to help them get more accustomed to dealing with complex driving situations. But trying to fix their weaknesses can't be the be-all and end-all.
Rather, it seems to me that the main thing autistic drivers need to do is to compensate by being extra cautious/defensive, e.g. by avoiding tailgating (as many autistic drivers already do) and avoiding making any assumptions at all about what the other cars on the road are going to do.
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16 Jul 2019, 8:14 am
