On the Fast Lane to Road Rage

Aggressive driving and road rage are increasing. The factors that trigger road rage are not well understood. The first goal of this study was to identify conditions likely to lead to aggressive driving/road rage. The second goal was to develop a paradigm that allows for the controlled study of road rage in the laboratory setting. A total of forty-five drivers participated in the study. Twenty-three drivers received non-contingent instructions that emphasized safely driving to a rest stop. The remaining drivers received contingent instructions that added a $10 monetary incentive if they arrived at the rest stop in the top 50% of all drivers. Participants drove in two scenarios (regular / irregular flow) in a high fidelity driving simulator. We recorded cardiovascular reactivity while driving, and measured driving-related anger after completing each scenario. Overall, the driving task evoked minimal changes in blood pressure. However, an incentive by gender interaction for systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity indicated that males in the contingent incentive condition displayed greater SBP responses than males in the noncontingent incentive condition or females in the contingent incentive condition. Contingent versus non-contingent incentives had no effect on females’ SBP response. We found no effect of incentive or traffic flow on anger, though analysis on an individual level indicated that some subjects were affected by the manipulation of driving condition. The present findings provide psychophysiological evidence that driving under time pressure and in irregular traffic flow may contribute to the genesis of road rage

Simulator Training Improves Driver Efficiency: Transfer from the Simulator to the Real World

Here we report the results of a fuel management simulation study to quantify the improvement in fuel efficiency for CDL truck drivers. Forty drivers were selected from a local commercial trucking company that maintained precise records on drivers’ history, fuel efficiency, type of vehicles driven, and trucking routes. These drivers participated in a two-hour training program that focused on ways to optimize shifting to maximize fuel efficiency (e.g., progressive shifting, double clutching, timing, and appropriate gear selection). Transfer of training was assessed over a six-month interval using measures of fuel consumption obtained by drivers in their own vehicles driving their normal route. Training increased fuel efficiency by an average of 2.8% over the six-month interval. Analyses indicated that the benefits of training persisted throughout the posttraining interval. These training benefits were obtained even for the subset of drivers who changed vehicles after training, indicating that drivers learned a general skill that transferred from one vehicle to another. Additional analyses focused on which drivers benefited the most from training. We sorted the drivers into one of four groups, based on pre-training fuel efficiency. Our analysis indicated that those drivers with the lowest pre-training fuel efficiency benefited most from training (with over 7% improvement in fuel efficiency), while those with the highest pre-training fuel efficiency did not benefit significantly from training. Together, our data validated the transfer of simulator training to realworld driving, as drivers incorporated the methods of optimal shifting into their driving practices. Moreover, the benefits of training appear to be durable and tend to benefit most those drivers whose performance was initially below the median on fuel efficienc

Simulator Training Improves Driver Efficiency: Transfer from the Simulator to the Real World

Here we report the results of a fuel management simulation study to quantify the improvement in fuel efficiency for CDL truck drivers. Forty drivers were selected from a local commercial trucking company that maintained precise records on drivers’ history, fuel efficiency, type of vehicles driven, and trucking routes. These drivers participated in a two-hour training program that focused on ways to optimize shifting to maximize fuel efficiency (e.g., progressive shifting, double clutching, timing, and appropriate gear selection). Transfer of training was assessed over a six-month interval using measures of fuel consumption obtained by drivers in their own vehicles driving their normal route. Training increased fuel efficiency by an average of 2.8% over the six-month interval. Analyses indicated that the benefits of training persisted throughout the posttraining interval. These training benefits were obtained even for the subset of drivers who changed vehicles after training, indicating that drivers learned a general skill that transferred from one vehicle to another. Additional analyses focused on which drivers benefited the most from training. We sorted the drivers into one of four groups, based on pre-training fuel efficiency. Our analysis indicated that those drivers with the lowest pre-training fuel efficiency benefited most from training (with over 7% improvement in fuel efficiency), while those with the highest pre-training fuel efficiency did not benefit significantly from training. Together, our data validated the transfer of simulator training to realworld driving, as drivers incorporated the methods of optimal shifting into their driving practices. Moreover, the benefits of training appear to be durable and tend to benefit most those drivers whose performance was initially below the median on fuel efficienc

Fatal Distraction? A Comparison of the Cell-phone Driver and the Drunk Driver

We used a high-fidelity driving simulator to compare the performance of cell-phone drivers with drivers who were legally intoxicated from ethanol. When drivers were conversing on either a hand-held or hands-free cell-phone, their reactions were sluggish and they attempted to compensate by driving slower and increasing the following distance from the vehicle immediately in front of them. By contrast, when drivers were legally intoxicated they exhibited a more aggressive driving style, following closer to the vehicle immediately in front of them and applying more force while braking. When controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, cell-phone drivers exhibited greater impairment than intoxicated drivers

The Development and Evaluation of a High Fidelity Simulator Training Program for Snowplow Operators

We report the results of a pilot training program incorporating highfidelity simulation developed for snowplow operators. Ratings of user acceptance of the training were very high, with drivers of all levels of experience indicating that the training helped them prepare for several issues critical to the safe and efficient operation of a snowplow. In the 6-month period following training, the odds of getting in an accident were lower for the group of drivers who received training compared with a matched control group who did not receive it. In addition, the data indicate that fuel efficiency was greater for the trained drivers than for the control group

Evaluation of a Graphical Anesthesia Drug Display for Space Travel

As the frequency and duration of space travel increase, the potential need for emergency medical care in space grows, and with it the need for patient monitoring devices supporting therapeutic treatment. Providing emergency care to an injured astronaut may necessitate immediate surgery. During such events, the timely administration of anesthetic agents will need to be performed by someone who is not a formally trained anesthesiologist. The availability of usable real-time displays of intravenous anesthetic concentrations and effects could significantly enhance intraoperative clinical decision-making both in space and on earth. The effectiveness of the real-time anesthesia display on the management of total intravenous anesthesia was determined by 31 anesthesiologists participating in a simulation study. In the presence of the anesthesia drug display, clinicians maintained physiologic indicators such as blood pressure and heart rate closer to baseline levels. Participants also reported an increase in perceived performance when using the drug display. The results indicate that surgeries on earth and in orbit would benefit from the implementation of this display

Pulmonary Metaphor Design and Anesthesia Simulation Testing

Medical decision making is a crucial process to successfully treat a critical medical emergency. During an unexpected medical event, astronauts, like anesthesiologists, must react quickly in a complex environment. Tools, such as the pulmonary metaphor display, were created to aid the medical caregiver\u27s decision making process. The pulmonary metaphor display is designed to help the caregiver collect and integrate pulmonary data to provide a more accurate, quicker diagnosis and treatment. The following outline anesthesiology simulation study will provide the data to prove that the pulmonary metaphor display is beneficial to medical decision making

Evaluating Medical Devices Remotely: Current Methods and Potential Innovations

Objective: We present examples of laboratory and remote studies, with a focus on studies appropriate for medical device design and evaluation. From this review and description of extant options for remote testing, we provide methods and tools to achieve research goals remotely. Background: The FDA mandates human factors evaluation of medical devices. Studies show similarities and differences in results collected in laboratories compared to data collected remotely in non-laboratory settings. Remote studies show promise, though many of these are behavioral studies related to cognitive or experimental psychology. Remote usability studies are rare but increasing, as technologies allow for synchronous and asynchronous data collection. Method: We reviewed methods of remote evaluation of medical devices, from testing labels and instruction to usability testing and simulated use. Each method was coded for the attributes (e.g., supported media) that need consideration in usability studies. Results: We present examples of how published usability studies of medical devices could be moved to remote data collection. We also present novel systems for creating such tests, such as the use of 3D printed or virtual prototypes. Finally, we advise on targeted participant recruitment. Conclusion: Remote testing will bring opportunities and challenges to the field of medical device testing. Current methods are adequate for most purposes, excepting the validation of Class III devices. Application: The tools we provide enable the remote evaluation of medical devices. Evaluations have specific research goals, and our framework of attributes helps to select or combine tools for valid testing of medical devices

Misrepresentation and Nonadherence Regarding COVID-19 Public Health Measures

IMPORTANCE: The effectiveness of public health measures implemented to mitigate the spread and impact of SARS-CoV-2 relies heavily on honesty and adherence from the general public. OBJECTIVE: To examine the frequency of, reasons for, and factors associated with misrepresentation and nonadherence regarding COVID-19 public health measures. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This survey study recruited a national, nonprobability sample of US adults to participate in an online survey using Qualtrics online panels (participation rate, 1811 of 2260 [80.1%]) from December 8 to 23, 2021. The survey contained screening questions to allow for a targeted sample of one-third who had had COVID-19, one-third who had not had COVID-19 and were vaccinated, and one-third who had not had COVID-19 and were unvaccinated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The survey assessed 9 different types of misrepresentation and nonadherence related to COVID-19 public health measures and the reasons underlying such behaviors. Additional questions measured COVID-19–related beliefs and behaviors and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: The final sample included 1733 participants. The mean (SD) participant age was 41 (15) years and the sample predominantly identified as female (1143 of 1732 [66.0%]) and non-Hispanic White (1151 of 1733 [66.4%]). Seven hundred twenty-one participants (41.6%) reported misrepresentation and/or nonadherence in at least 1 of the 9 items; telling someone they were with or about to be with in person that they were taking more COVID-19 preventive measures than they actually were (420 of 1726 [24.3%]) and breaking quarantine rules (190 of 845 [22.5%]) were the most common manifestations. The most commonly endorsed reasons included wanting life to feel normal and wanting to exercise personal freedom. All age groups younger than 60 years (eg, odds ratio for those aged 18-29 years, 4.87 [95% CI, 3.27-7.34]) and those who had greater distrust in science (odds ratio, 1.14 [95% CI, 1.05-1.23]) had significantly higher odds of misrepresentation and/or nonadherence for at least 1 of the 9 items. CONCLUSIONS: In this survey study of US adults, nearly half of participants reported misrepresentation and/or nonadherence regarding public health measures against COVID-19. Future work is needed to examine strategies for communicating the consequences of misrepresentation and nonadherence and to address contributing factors