On-road assessment of driving performance in bilateral vestibular-deficient patients

This study measured on-road driving behavior in subjects with bilateral vestibular loss (BVL). Data included point-of-regard (what the driver is looking at and attending to), gaze stability (the performance of the vestibulo-ocular reflex), and head movement, during complex maneuvers such as changing lanes, cornering, pulling into traffic, and parking. Subjective and objective measures showed few differences between BVL subjects and age-matched controls, and that it is possible to drive well with little or no peripheral vestibular function. This has important implications for driver licensing, road-safety policy, and for the potential successful rehabilitation of vestibular patients. Patients with unilateral vestibular dysfunction may have more difficulty driving than their bilateral counterparts.