Abstract
An automobile is a convenient means of transportation for hearing-impaired persons to participate in society because it is less burdensome than public transportation. When driving a vehicle, a hearing-unimpaired person can obtain information from both hearing and vision, however, it is difficult for a hearing-impaired person to obtain auditory information without using a hearing aid. There are many demands, especially to be able to know the approach of an emergency vehicle, while auditory information is not sufficiently obtained. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the actual situation of the siren of an emergency vehicle when driving a vehicle for hearing-impaired persons, and to understand the current situation and problems from the viewpoint of consciousness. As a result of a questionnaire survey, more than half of the people have not noticed the siren of an emergency vehicle. However, about 70 % of the hearing-impaired persons do not think of it as a hearing problem. Also, about half of them feel that it is more difficult to recognize visual information during nighttime driving than during daytime. Hearing-impaired persons may have difficulty in obtaining visual information in the dark, and if the amount of auditory information decreases, it may be more difficult for them to collect information around them, and driving may be difficult.
