This paper presents some results of a Dutch comparative study of over-the-road and simulated driving performance after drug treatment. The study's aim was to examine the sensitivity and concurrent criterion validity of a driving simulator test model (TS2), compared with a standard over-the-road driving test, after administration of one of three treatments. For each subject, the randomly chosen treatment was administered on two successive nights. On the day after the first night, the two tests were conducted in the morning; on the day after the second night, they were conducted in both morning and afternoon. The three alternative treatments were: (1) 1mg of lormetazepam; (2) 50mg of oxazepam; (3) a placebo. 18 healthy male volunteers, of ages 25 to 31, were studied. Each subject received treatments at 22.00 on two consecutive nights, according to a double-blind three-way crossover design. The study showed that the results, obtained with the TS2 simulator, were too different from those of the over-the-road driving test to be translated to actual driving performance and then extrapolated to driving safety.
Abstract