The next question was whether effects of training could also be demonstrated in such
time-critical obstacle avoidance. A treadmill obstacle avoidance task under time pressure has recently
been used to evaluate the effects of a fall prevention exercise program for community-dwelling elderly.
Avoidance success rates improved as a result of training, especially at short ARTs (less than
350 ms), in conjunction with a 46% reduction in the number of falls (Weerdesteyn et al., 2006). The
mechanism, by which the increased success rates were achieved, however, remained to be
determined.