Evaluation method regarding the effect of psychotropic drugs on driving performance: A literature review

Abstract

Although automobile driving is necessary for many people, including patients with mental disorders, the influence of psychotropic drugs on driving performance remains unclear and requires scientific verification. Therefore, the objective of this study was to conduct a review of the literature in order to aid the development of a valid evaluation method regarding the influence of medication on driving performance. We conducted a literature search using two sets of terms on PubMed. One set was related to psychotropic drugs, and the other to driving tests. We excluded reviews and case studies and added literature found on other sites. A total of 121 relevant reports were found. The experiments were roughly divided into on-the-road tests (ORT) and driving simulators (DS). Although highway driving tests in ORT are most often used to evaluate driving performance, DS are becoming increasingly common because of their safety and low cost. The validity of evaluation methods for alcohol should be verified; however, we found that there were few validated tests, especially for DS. The scenarios and measurement indices of each DS were different, which makes it difficult to compare the results of DS studies directly. No evaluation indices, except for SD of lateral position, were sufficiently validated. Although highway ORT are the gold standard, DS were shown to have an increasing role in evaluating driving performance. The reliability of DS needs to be established, as does their validation with alcohol in order to accumulate more high-quality evidence.

The Drives for Driving Simulation: A Scientometric Analysis and a Selective Review of Reviews on Simulated Driving Research

“…Indeed, such terminology primarily comes from technical discipline such as engineering and computer science, but driving simulators are widespread and employed in many others scientific fields (i.e., medicine, psychology, etc.). Other works reported the need for a consensus on (a) a common set of parameters/indicators to be included in a simulator (Kraft et al, 2010), (b) settings and assessment methods of driving skills (Schreier et al, 2018), and (c) hardware (i.e., equipment) and software (i.e., scenarios) of driving simulators (Iwata et al, 2018). The huge variability on the aforementioned features hampers the comparability between simulators and makes that every research team goes on with its own device and protocol (Iwata et al, 2018).…”

“…Other works reported the need for a consensus on (a) a common set of parameters/indicators to be included in a simulator (Kraft et al, 2010), (b) settings and assessment methods of driving skills (Schreier et al, 2018), and (c) hardware (i.e., equipment) and software (i.e., scenarios) of driving simulators (Iwata et al, 2018). The huge variability on the aforementioned features hampers the comparability between simulators and makes that every research team goes on with its own device and protocol (Iwata et al, 2018). The lack of validation studies also limits the use of simulators as a tool for rehabilitation and training of driving skills.…”

Sleep and the Fitness to Drive: A Swiss Perspective

“…Nowadays, swift and thorough testing the effects of novel -and supposedly again more specific -hypnotics on driving performance [72] prevents major surprises in novel sleep medication with respect to effects on driving performance. This includes orexin system blockers, such as Suvorexant [73] and Lemborexant [74], or melatonin agonists [66,67], such as Ramelteon [71,75].…”

Protocol for the development and validation of a driving simulator for evaluating the influence of drugs on driving performance

“…Despite considerable research on driving performance in many countries, each research facility uses different evaluation methods, such as actual vehicle tests and driving simulators (DSs). [3] Recently, results regarding the effect of sleeping pills on driving performance have been considered in devising recommended clinical dosages [4] ; however, only the evaluation system in the Netherlands using actual cars [5] and that in the United States using DSs [6] is used in drug approval applications. In particular, the evaluation of vehicle “weaving” in the lateral direction became an index of driving performance referred to as the standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP), and currently, this remains the only fully validated index.…”

“…In particular, the evaluation of vehicle “weaving” in the lateral direction became an index of driving performance referred to as the standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP), and currently, this remains the only fully validated index. [3] Although these evaluation systems are accepted as standard methods abroad, the traffic laws and road conditions in foreign countries differ considerably from those in Japan. Moreover, the results obtained by those evaluation systems can be affected by ethnic differences, especially the evaluation system in the Netherlands, which has been verified only on long-distance linear expressways; therefore, using the same evaluation methods across countries and cultures is difficult.…”