Validation of Computerized Tools Developed to Collect Data on Safety Driving: A Pilot Study

Driving is a complex activity that requires several drivers’ cognitive skills, such as reaction time. Young adults (ages 16-24) and older adults (>60) are more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than any other age group. To evaluate driving performance, several on-road driving tests have been developed, such as the eDOS tool which must be used by an expert to annotate driving errors and generate a driving score. Little is known on how to use such driving tests in our particular context, as some of them are not available to be replicated; furthermore, they were designed taking into account local driving environments, which may substantially differ to other countries, such as Mexico. In this study, we developed a computerized version of the eDOS, which proposes a weighted score system that represents individuals’ onroad driving performance. We conducted a pilot study with 10 participants to understand how to administer it in our municipality and analyze their correlation with participants’ reaction time, measured through a computerized version implemented for a driving simulator. We found that the eDOS scores are associated with reaction times, confirming the feasibility to use our tools to carry out larger studies with other age groups.