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The Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University have turned anelectric car into a mobile laboratory named ＂DriveLAB＂ in order tounderstand the challenges faced by older drivers and to discover where the keystress points are.
Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key reasons for afall in health and well-being among older people, leading to them becoming moreisolated(隔绝) and inactive.
Led by Professor Phil Blythe, the Newcastle team are developingin-vehicle technologies for older drivers which they hope could help them tocontinue driving into later life.
These include custom-made navigation(导航) tools, night vision systems and intelligent speedadaptations. Phil Blythe explains: ＂For many older people,particularly those living alone or in the country, driving is important forpreserving their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and aboutwithout having to rely on others.＂
＂But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactionsslow down and this often results in people avoiding any potentially challengingdriving conditions and losing confidence in their driving skills. The result isthat people stop driving before they really need to.＂
Dr Amy Guo, the leading researcher on the older driver study, explains: ＂The DriveLAB ishelping us to understand what the key points and difficulties are for olderdrivers and how we might use technology to address these problems.
＂For example, most of uswould expect older drivers always go slower than everyone else butsurprisingly, we found that in 30mph zones they struggled to keep at a constantspeed and so were more likely to break the speed limit and be at risk ofgetting fined. We’re looking at the benefits of systems which control theirspeed as a way of preventing that.
＂We hope that our work will help with technological solutions(解决方案) to ensure that olderdrivers stay safer behind the wheel.＂
What isthe purpose of the DriveLAB?
细节理解题。根据文章首段的内容可知，研制DriveLAB的目的是为了更好地了解老年司机所面临的挑战，从而发现关键的压力所在。
Why is driving important for older people according to Phil Blythe?
推理判断题。根据第四段中 Phil Blythe所说的＂...driving is important for preserving their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others＂可知，在Phil Blythe看来，能够开车是老年人能够保持独立生活和自由外出的重要条件。
What doresearchers hope to do for older drivers?
推理判断题。根据文重最后三段的内容可知,研究人员希望能够通过研制一些司机捕助技术来諾動老年司机延长驾龄、享受更多的独立生活。
What isthe best title for the text?
主旨大意题。文重主要介绍了科研人员通过把电动车改装成一款DriveLAB来研究如何帮助解决老年司机在开车时候遇到的问题,以使延长他们独立生活的时间,提高他们的生活底量。