The Effect of a Concussion on the Hazard Anticipation Ability in Teen Drivers

Abstract

Driving after a brain injury is controversial. Since diagnosing a concussion and tracking the healing trend is challenging, whether or not a patient is fit-to-drive after the injury is open to interpretation. The primary purpose of the present research was to investigate the effect of a concussion on teen drivers' hazard anticipation skill. Twenty-four participants were recruited for this study in two groups: the concussed teen driver group and the non-concussed teen driver group. They were asked to wear an eye-tracker and drive with a driving simulator. The drive included several scenarios with potential latent hazards. While driving, the participants were expected to scan the latent hazards with their eyes and fixate at the hazardous area. The results show significant differences (p < 0.05) in the hazard anticipation skills between the two groups on two primary aspects: 1). The concussed group showed more random eye movements while the non-concussed participants had more deliberate eye fixations with less distractions and saccadic jumping. 2) The concussed patients showed a significantly poorer performance in anticipating the potential hazards. In conclusion, results indicate concussions can affect the hazard prediction skills of the teens, which in turn makes the driving task riskier for this group of drivers.