Influence of age and proximity warning devices on collision avoidance in simulated driving

Objective: We conducted a set of experiments to examine the utility of several different uni- and multimodal collision avoidance systems (CASs) on driving performance of young and older adult drivers in a high-fidelity simulator. Background: Although previous research has examined the efficacy of different CASs on collision avoidance, there has been a dearth of studies that have examined such devices in different driving situations with different populations of drivers. Method: Several different CAS warnings were examined in varying traffic and collision configurations both without (Experiment 1a) and with (Experiment 2) a distracting in-vehicle task. Results: Overall, collision avoidance performance for both potential forward and side object collisions was best for an auditory/visual CAS, which alerted drivers using both modalities. Interestingly, older drivers (60-82 years of age) benefited as much as younger drivers from the CAS, and sometimes they benefited more. Conclusion: These data suggest that CASs can be beneficial across a number of different driving scenarios, types of collisions, and driver populations. Application: These results have important implications for the design and implementation of CASs for different driver populations and driving conditions.