Aid for training and evaluation of handicapped drivers

An indoor driver-evaluator and trainer-aid vehicle, developed to quantify students' ability and progress in learning to drive, is described. In general, the instrumentation for each control was built to measure operating force and elapsed time. The system consists of functional ignition and gear shift control, instrumented steering wheel, hand controls for brake and acceleration, and elapsed response time meters for each control. The controls allow the major driving functions to be evaluated in their interactive mode and the subjects to be taught using variable mechanical resistance elements. Pilot tests were made on nine tetraplegic subjects, spaced over a 4-week period for a subject. Evaluation results by the third test agreed with road evaluation for all six of the subjects who thus far have attempted licensing examinations.