A Study to Compare Efficacy of Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-3 and Rivermead Perceptual Assessment Battery with Performance of Indian Drivers on Driving Simulator for Determining Off-Road Perceptual Skills: A Pilot Study.

Background: Driving simulators are frequently used in traffic research to study the various traffic scenarios with related traffic phenomena. This current pilot study assesses off-road driving skills of Indian drivers using driving simulator and perceptual test batteries such as test of visual perceptual skills-3 (TVPS-3) and Rivermead perceptual assessment battery (RPAB). Objectives: To compare the efficacy of TVPS-3 and RPAB with performance of Indian drivers on driving simulator to determine off-road perceptual skills. Study Design: This is a cross-sectional study. Methods: The sample size was 30. Individuals who met the following inclusion criteria were included: * Individuals with driving experience of not <1 year * Age range: 20-60 years * No obvious visual impairment or other such comorbidities. Participants underwent evaluation in two phases. Phase 1: It included screening of participants for inclusion criteria and assessment of screened individuals on driving simulator. Driving simulator: Participants were tested on "city driving test" for 15 min. Phase 2: After completing assessment on driving simulator, participants were randomly assigned to either of the perceptual tests. Perceptual tests: Participants' perceptual abilities were assessed either using TVPS-3 or RPAB. Statistical analysis was done using Pearson's correlation to compare the visual perceptual tests and performance on driving simulator; unpaired f-test was used to find difference between TVPS-3 and RPAB. Results: The performance of Indian drivers on perceptual tests and driving simulator is highly correlated. Conclusion: Driving simulator seems to be a valid and stable assessment tool for assessing driving skills in individuals. Both the assessment scales are can be used for assessing the driving skills of participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]