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Updated: Aug 23, 2026
Driving Simulation in the Clinic: Testing Visual Exploratory Behavior in Daily Life Activities in Patients with Visual Field Defects
Published on: September 18, 2012
Occupational therapy assessment of open-road driving performance: validity of directed and self-directed navigational
1Centre for Eye Research, School of Optometry, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road. Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia. kmallon@optusnet.com.au
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to validate an assessment tool used by occupational therapists to evaluate on-road driving performance.
Methods:
The driving assessment was conducted over a 15-km route that consisted of a range of traffic situations and contained both directed and self-directed navigational instruction. The driving performance of four groups of drivers of different ages and visual characteristics was assessed independently by an occupational therapist and driving instructor using a range of scoring criteria.
Results:
The occupational therapist scores were significantly affected by the drivers' age and visual characteristics (directed navigation, F(3,133) = 6.05, p = 0.001; self-directed navigation, F(3,133) = 5.04, p < 0.002), and these group differences were greater for self-directed navigational instruction. The occupational therapist scores were highly correlated with the driving instructor's global driver safety rating (r = 0.76, p < 0.001).
Discussion:
The driving assessment instrument was a valid measure of on-road driving performance relative to an independent global driving safety evaluation. The instrument provided detailed information regarding driving performance and highlighted areas of difficulty, particularly when drivers followed self-navigational instruction.
