Kapitel i bok, del av antologi | 3 mars 2016
Research into the effect of hearing loss (HL) on traffic safety and mobility is limited and the empirical findings are somewhat inconsistent. HL is one of the most frequent sensory deficits in humans, leading to loss of auditory information, which may affect behavior in traffic situations and might reduce traffic safety and mobility. The prevalence of age-related HL in Europe is roughly 30% for men and 20% for women at the age of 70 years, and 55% for men and 45% for women at the age of 80 years. The prevalence of age-related HL is increasing, and as a consequence the number of road users with HL will also increase.The aim of this PhD thesis was to investigate traffic safety and mobility for individuals with HL. Three studies were conducted: 1. a questionnaire survey aimed to evaluate differences in choice of transportation that might be related to HL, 2. a driving simulator study that looked into compensatory strategies and evaluated the efficiency of a tactile signal to alert the driver, and 3. a field study to evaluate these effects in real traffic and to evaluate a navigation system with a supportive tactile signal.