The driver monitor system: A means of assessing driver performance

With the "graying of America," the need for the appropriate assessment of driving performance in the elderly is increasing. Three general approaches may be taken: self-report based on questionnaires, driving simulators, and driving monitors. Each approach has its own advantages and drawbacks. Self-report is subjective and of questionable reliability. Driving simulators provide strict control over the driving environment but are complex and costly and may not represent true driving situations. In addition, the driver is cognizant of the evaluation, which may alter driving behavior. A driver monitor, the approach we have chosen, is less costly and may provide more objective measures. Our driver monitor system is composed of a GPS receiver, a two-axis accelerometer, and three video cameras. We detail the design considerations that led to this architecture, discuss the software for control and data acquisition, and present some of our preliminary data screening and feature extraction algorithms. Although our system is intended more as a research tool, it also has obvious clinical application for testing driving ability.