The present study examined age-related differences in collision detection performance when contrast of the driving scene was reduced by simulated fog. Older and younger drivers were presented with a collision detection scenario in a simulator in which an object moved at a constant speed on a linear trajectory towards the driver. Drivers were shown part of the motion path of an approaching object that would eventually either collide with or pass by the driver and were required to determine whether or not the object would collide with the driver. Driver motion was either stationary or moving along a linear path down the roadway. A no fog condition and three different levels of fog were examined. Detection performance decreased when dense fog was simulated for older but not for younger observers. An age-related decrement was also found with shorter display durations (longer time to contact). When the vehicle was moving decrements in performance were observed for both younger and older drivers. These results suggest that under inclement weather conditions with reduced visibility, such as fog, older drivers may have an increased crash risk due to a decreased ability to detect impending collision events.
Summary:The current study investigated age-related differences in the detection of collision events in fog. Observers were presented with displays simulating an object moving towards a driver at a constant speed and linear trajectory. The observers' task was to detect whether the object would collide with them. Fog and display duration of the object were manipulated. We found that performance decreased when fog was simulated for older but not for younger observers. An age-related decrement was also found with shorter display durations. These results suggest that under poor weather conditions with reduced visibility, such as fog, older drivers may have increased accident risk due to decreased ability to detect impending collision events.
In the current study we examined age-related differences in the detection of collision events on a curved trajectory. Observers were presented with displays simulating an approaching object moving at a constant speed that was either on a collision or a non-collision path. The object disappeared before reaching the observer, and the task was to determine whether the object was on a collision path. In a series of three experiments, we manipulated the motion trajectory of the object (linear or curved), time-to-contact (TTC), and radius of the curvature. We found decreased performance with older as compared to younger observers when the object was traveling on a linear trajectory at long TTC. However, there was no age-related decrement in detecting a collision when the object was traveling on a curved trajectory. These results indicate a similar ability for older and younger observers in detecting collisions on a curved trajectory.
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