New research assesses naturalistic driving techniques to link vision impairment and traffic accidents

New research published in JAMA Ophthalmology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham has used naturalistic driving techniques, or unobtrusive sensors and cameras in vehicles, to link vision impairment in older drivers to at-fault crashes and near-crashes as assessed by in-vehicle instrumentation.

Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., professor and Nathan E. Miles Chair of Ophthalmology in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, says accident reports used in the study of driver safety are frequently biased and incomplete, but naturalistic driving avoids this problem.