Driving Rehabilitation & Technology Donna Stressel OTR, CDI, CDRSSunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital

Bill LachapelleMobility Works

Objectives

• Participants will be able to list five vehicle features (OEM equipment) available to aid in safe driving. • Participants will be able to list five "over the

counter" devices that are available to aid in driving and a safe driver-vehicle fit. • Participants will be able to list three adaptive

driving controls to facilitate independent driving by individuals with disabilities.

Highway Design: Increased Sign Visibility• Larger signs• Retro-reflectivity• Beacon lights

Highway Design: Signal improvements• LED signals • Brighter than incandescent bulbs

• Background shields • Easier to see in cluttered environments

• Left turn signal phases • protects left turners from

opposing traffic• One signal face per lane• centered over each lane

• All-red clearance intervals• Extra time to insure the

intersection is clear

Highway Design: Intersection Recognition• Advance street name signs• curve and intersection delineation• Intersection lighting

Highway Design: Realign skewed intersections

Before

After

Highway Design: Left Turns• Exclusive Turning Lane: remove stopped vehicles from

through traffic reducing rear-end crashes by 60%-80%.• Shared Left Turn Lane: help drivers make safer mid-block left

turns to and from businesses on a busy street.• Extended Lines: dotted line extension markings guide vehicles

through intersections where multiple turn lanes are used, or where offset left turn lanes might cause driver confusion.

Highway Design: Rumble Strip

• Centerline and Shoulder Rumble Strips: The main cause of roadway departure crashes is driver drowsiness and inattention. The noise and vibration produced by rumble strips are effective countermeasures to prevent head-on collisions and run-off-the-road crashes.

• Travel Lane Rumble Strips: Used to warn motorists of any upcoming change that may require them to act (the need to slow down for a toll plaza ahead, or stop at an intersection).

Highway Design: Roundabouts• Conventional Intersection• Wide visual scans• High speeds• Complexity/Little response

time• High energy/severity

crashes

• Roundabout• Narrow visual scans• Low speeds• Less complex/Easier to

judge gaps• Low energy/severity

crashes

Vehicle Technology• Anti-lock brakes: keeps the wheels from skidding while you

slow down, allowing the vehicle to stop faster, and maintain steering while you stop

• Vehicle stability control: helps to automatically bring the vehicle back in the intended line of travel, particularly in situations where the driver underestimates the angle of a curve or weather effects, and reduces the likelihood of a crash

• Voice activated systems: allow drivers to access features by voice command so they can keep focused on the road

• Navigation system: global positioning systems are beneficial for individuals with memory impairments, learning disabilities and low vision impairments

Vehicle Technology• Seat height and low door threshold: makes vehicle entry and

exit easier. The ideal seat height is between mid-thigh and lower buttocks. For many, concave bucket seats make it difficult to exit a vehicle.

• Power seats that adjust six ways: makes it easier to enter and exit vehicles, adjust seats for leg room, and helps drivers obtain a line of sight above the steering wheel

Each year 37,000 older adults visit an emergency department due to injuries sustained getting into and out of a vehicle

Vehicle Technology• Adjustable foot pedals for the brake and accelerator: help

smaller drivers reach pedals, yet maintain a safe distance from the airbag

• Tilt and telescoping steering wheel: help ensure drivers can be positioned at least 10 inches from the front airbag

Vehicle Technology• Keyless entry and ignition: help to avoid difficulty or pain

that can occur by turning a key • Larger dashboard controls with buttons: easier to

manipulate than knobs

Vehicle Technology• Smart headlights: reduce glare and improve night vision• turn on and off with ignition, and can automatically adjust to the

environment outside the car • pivot to illuminate the road during turns, and adjust the range

and intensity of light based on the distance of traffic• Can improve visibility by constantly redirecting light to shine

between particles of precipitation and reduces glare that occurs when headlight beams are reflected

Vehicle Technology• Blind spot warning systems: warn drivers of objects in blind

spots, especially while changing lanes, merging and parking. Helps those with limited range of motion or decreased peripheral vision.

•

Vehicle Technology• Lane departure warning: monitors the vehicle’s position and

warns the driver if the vehicle deviates outside the lane, helping drivers stay in their lane

Vehicle Technology• Reverse monitoring systems: warn of objects to the rear of

the vehicle to help drivers judge distances and back up safely. Helps drivers with reduced flexibility.

Vehicle Technology• Assistive parking systems: enable vehicles to park on their

own or indicates distance to objects, reducing driver stress, making parking easier, and increasing the places that a driver can park

Vehicle Technology• Drowsy driver alerts: monitor the degree to which a driver

may be inattentive while on the road and helps alert drivers to the driving task

Vehicle Technology• Crash mitigation systems: detect when the vehicle may be in

danger of a collision and can help to minimize injuries to passengers

• Moving object detection: • Alerting the driver to moving objects around the vehicle

Vehicle Technology• Emergency response systems: offer quick assistance to drivers

in the case of a medical emergency or collision, often allowing emergency personnel to get to the scene more quickly

Vehicle Adaptions• Transfer devices: available for passenger and driver position to

allow easier transfers for individuals with limited mobility.

Vehicle Adaptions• Seat cushions: improve line of sight and can help alleviate

back or hip pain

Vehicle Adaptions• Seatbelt

Vehicle Adaptions• Built up grips: requires less hand and wrist strength to grip

and handle

Vehicle Adaptions• Panoramic or convex spot mirrors: help drivers compensate

for limited range of motion or difficulties twisting to check blind spots while merging or backing up

Vehicle Adaptions

• Wheelchair Scooter loading devices:

Vehicle Adaptions• Steering devices:

Vehicle Adaptions• Pedal modifications:

left foot accelerator pedal extenders

Vehicle Adaptions• Hand controls:

Vehicle Adaptions• Secondary controls:

Vehicle Adaptions• Van lifts and ramps:

WheelchairsWC19 is a voluntary industry standard for designing, testing and labeling a wheelchair that is ready to be used as a seat in a motor vehicle. A WC19 wheelchair has:• Four permanently attached and labeled securement points that can

withstand the forces of a 30 mph, 20 g impact. • A path of travel that allows placement of vehicle mounted occupant safety

belts next to the skeletal parts of the body. • Anchor points for an optional wheelchair anchored pelvic safety belt, that is

designed to withstand a 30 mph, 20 g impact, that has a standard interface on it that allows it to connect to a vehicle-anchored shoulder belt.

www.rercwts.org/WC19 up-to-date list of successfully crash tested wheelchairs ant seating systems

Vehicle Adaptions• Wheelchair Tie-down and Occupant Restraint System

(WTORS): consists of a device for securing a wheelchair in a motor vehicle and a belt-type restraint system for limiting the movement of the wheelchair occupant in a crash.

Vehicle Adaptions• Reduced effort steering and braking: A modification to the

OEM steering and/or power brake system that lowers the amount of effort required.• Low Effort: A modification that reduces effort approximately 50%. • Zero Effort: A modification that reduced effort approximately

75%-95%. • Horizontal Steering: A modification that enables a steering

wheel to be adjusted in a horizontal position

Vehicle Adaptions• High Tech Electronic Driving Control Systems: A high tech

electronic driving control system may be prescribed because the driver lacks the range of motion or strength to operate hand controls even with the assistance of reduced or no effort brake/steering.

Questions ?