Assessment of Aging Effects on Drivers' Perceptual and Behavioral Responses Using Subjective Ratings and Pressure Measures

A study was conducted in which a total of 22 younger and older participants completed six short-term driving sessions. These sessions involved a subset of combinations of vehicle class (sedan and SUV), driving venue (lab-based vs. field) and seats (from vehicles ranked high and low by J.D. Power and Associates’ Comfort Score). Three subjective ratings (comfort, discomfort, and overall) were obtained, along with 36 driver-seat interface pressure measures. For both age groups, localized comfort ratings were found to be more effective at distinguishing among automotive seats / packages, compared to global ratings or localized discomfort ratings. In addition, older individuals appeared to be less sensitive to discomfort than younger individuals. Several pressure measures indicated different dynamic behaviors or loading patterns (due to postural differences) between the two age groups, and bilateral asymmetry of driving postures in general. These results indicate that, when designing car seats and interior geometries, different pressure requirements should be specified and used separately for each age group and for each seat side. Author Keywords

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