Normal motions of driving felt with acceleration and deceleration are possible. However, that safety and security are also their drawback. The need for timely reactions may be affected as the consequences for failing to react are nullified in a simulated environment.1,10,11 More research is clearly warranted into the usefulness ofsimulators as a reliable predictor of driving performance. Simulators are costly and, at this time, are not the norm in pre-driving assessments. Unfortunately, this is another area without uniformity.
Some instructors use a closed course as part of their assessment.
Individuals are challenged with a variety of tasks, such as right and left turns, changing lanes, varying speeds, and varying degrees of traffic. It is impossible to test an individual in such a wide variety of situations. Given that, the importance of the pre-driving evaluation increases, as it can predict behaviors and performance with a wide range of tasks examining a variety of components. The combination of both evaluations will present the most complete picture. From this, a physician can make a recommendation on the patienes fitness for driving.