A Randomized Controlled Trial on Automated Vehicle Technologies for Drivers With Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) negatively affects driver fitness. Few studies document the benefits of in-vehicle information systems (IVIS) and advanced-driver assistance systems (ADAS), the focus of this study, for drivers with PD. This study quantified the impact of IVIS and ADAS on the number of on-road driving errors. Drivers with PD (N = 107) drove a vehicle equipped with IVIS and ADAS in traffic. The activation of IVIS and ADAS resulted in fewer driver errors. Specifically, adaptive cruise control reduced the number of speeding errors on the highway. Bradykinesia correlated with driving errors with deactivated systems. Memory impairments correlated with the total number of driving errors with activated systems. Impairments in executive function and visuospatial ability were associated with more errors during system deactivation. IVIS and ADAS reduced the total number of driving errors for PD drivers; ameliorated effects of individual variations; but memory declines posed a challenge while using these technologies.