Multiple Exposition to a Driving Simulator Reduces Simulator Symptoms for Elderly Drivers

Teasdale, Normand; Lavallière, Martin; Tremblay, Mathieu; Laurendeau, Denis; Simoneau, Martin · 2009 · Crossref

DOI: 10.17077/drivingassessment.1318

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Summary

This study investigates how repeated exposure to a driving simulator affects simulator sickness (SS) symptoms in elderly drivers, addressing the challenge that SS often limits the widespread use of simulators for training and assessment. While previous research established that adaptation occurs in younger populations, data regarding older adults remained scarce. The authors hypothesized that elderly drivers would exhibit reduced sickness symptoms with repeated exposure and examined whether steering control issues, such as overcorrection leading to weaving, contributed to these symptoms. The experiment involved 22 older participants (aged 65–84) who were active drivers in good health. Participants underwent five simulator sessions within a 14-day period using a fixed-base, open-cab simulator. Simulator sickness was measured using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) and a 10-cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at baseline, after a familiarization scenario, and post-session. The first and fifth sessions involved longer 26-km scenarios, while sessions two through four were shorter training sessions (approximately 16 km). Steering control was analyzed by counting steering movements during overtaking maneuvers in the first and last sessions. Results from the 19 participants who completed the study showed a significant decrease in SSQ and VAS scores from the first to the fourth session. After the initial session, sickness scores were high (average SSQ total score of 66.7), but by the fourth session, there was no statistically significant difference between baseline and post-session scores, indicating adaptation. However, the fifth session, which had a longer duration than the intermediate sessions, resulted in a significant increase in sickness symptoms compared to baseline. Steering analysis revealed no difference in the number of steering movements between the first and last sessions, suggesting that steering control and weaving behaviors were not factors in the observed sickness levels. The findings indicate that older drivers adapt to driving simulators through multiple, shorter-duration exposures, effectively reducing simulator sickness symptoms. However, increasing exposure duration after adaptation can re-trigger symptoms. This suggests that training protocols for elderly drivers should utilize multiple short sessions rather than single long exposures to minimize sickness and prevent participant withdrawal, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of simulator-based training programs.

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Topics

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• simulator sickness
• passenger motion sickness comfort
• simulator validity fidelity
• simulator training transfer

Information type

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• Methodological Resource: validation psychometrics, tool software
• Theoretical Contribution: computational model