Having both hands on the steering wheel: Driving behaviour of white-collar workers with degenerative eye conditions

Spiegel, T.; Rubin, O.; Steverink, N. · 2017 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2016.10.008

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Summary

This qualitative study investigates the driving behaviors and commuting strategies of white-collar workers with degenerative eye conditions, specifically Retinitis Pigmentosa and Stargardt’s disease. Motivated by the high reliance on private vehicles in the United States and the resulting risk of social exclusion for those who cannot drive, the research explores how these individuals navigate the tension between maintaining labor market participation and managing declining vision. The authors aim to understand how participants experience the gradient of social exclusion over time and identify the motivations behind their decisions to continue or cease driving. The researchers employed a grounded theory approach, conducting in-depth life story interviews with 36 participants recruited through a medical non-profit organization. Participants were required to be at least 40 years old, have had a degenerative eye condition for at least 10 years, and have held white-collar employment. Data were collected via face-to-face or telephone interviews, which were fully transcribed and independently coded by two researchers using ATLAS.ti. The analysis focused on identifying overarching themes regarding commute challenges, strategies, and motivations, allowing the researchers to map behavioral patterns and shifts in mobility over time. The findings reveal that 28 of the 36 participants initially relied on driving as their primary commute mode. As vision declined, participants gradually restricted their driving, such as limiting trips to daytime or familiar areas, often continuing to drive despite legal or safety concerns. Upon ceasing driving, participants adopted one of four distinct patterns: five individuals left the labor market entirely due to an inability to commute; 14 individuals relied on rides from others, a strategy more common among men who had greater access to resources like working spouses; nine individuals relocated to urban areas to walk or use public transportation; and eight individuals never used cars for work commutes. The decision to stop driving was frequently delayed until after participants experienced one or more car accidents, despite a stated desire to reduce accident risk. The study concludes that workplace accessibility is a critical factor influencing labor market participation for individuals with degenerative eye conditions. The lack of viable, independent transportation alternatives forces many into risky driving behaviors or leads to social exclusion through unemployment. Gender differences were evident, with men more likely to maintain employment through access to rides, while women were more likely to exit the workforce. The authors argue that social exclusion is not a binary state but a gradient influenced by vision loss and available resources. These insights highlight the need for targeted legal and societal interventions to discourage high-risk driving while improving transportation options to minimize exclusion from the labor market.

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• sensory abilities
• visual occlusion

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• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence
• Methodological Resource: tool software