Vehicle handling aspects by drivers with special needs
bookPart
The requirements and assessment criteria to determine the medical fitness to drive and the driving skills of the European driver are outlined in the driving licence directive (91/439/EEG). All drivers must comply to these criteria. An expert judgement on compliance is made at least once for each driver before the issuing of the driving licence. These requirements are not based on physical measures in relation to the vehicle controls (e.g. forces, response times, etc.) but on the skills needed to handle the vehicle in all traffic situations. If one looks however into the directives of vehicle components, several requirements are found with respect to the operation of components, which are directly related to the physical abilities of an 'average' person. The assumptions with respect to the functional abilities of the user can preclude (part of) the elderly and disabled polulation from driving although they might be able to operate the vehicle properly if supported by specially fitted equipment suited to their physical abilities. The main objective of this paper is to highlight some vehicle design aspects for their consequences with respect to the driving possibilities of elderly and/or disabled (potential) drivers.
TNO Identifier
362257
Publisher
Swets & Zeitlinger
Source title
Vehicle performance: understanding human monitoring and assessment
Editor(s)
Pauwelussen, J.P.
Place of publication
Lisse
Pages
46-66
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