Reliability of a virtual reality driving simulator for individuals with neurological disorders

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) offers an innovative method to assess the impact of neurocognitive deficits on daily activities like driving. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to evaluate the reliability of a VR driving simulator (VRDS) in assessing driving behaviors. METHODS: Participants included 91 individuals with a neurological condition (e.g., acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis) and 59 participants with no history of neurological disorder. Internal consistency and split half reliability were examined from data for all participants for driving speed, lane positioning, and steering on a rural segment of the virtual reality driving simulator route. Test-retest reliability was examined for data from the 22 drivers who completed the same route sections across two time periods. RESULTS: Internal consistency and split half reliability were excellent (alphas > 0.90) for speed and lane positioning on a basic rural route. Test-retest reliability was variable with adequate to good reliability of lane positioning and steering but poor reliability of speed. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that VRDS is a generally reliable instrument for measuring speed, lane positioning, and steering in a virtual basic rural driving environment. Reliability of repeated testing is not consistent, likely due to practice effects, highlighting the importance of using a comparison group in VRDS studies.