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Cognitive functioning predicts driver safety on road tests 1 and 2 years later
Nazan Aksan1, Steven W Anderson, Jeffrey D Dawson
1Division of Neuroergonomics, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. nazan-aksan@uiowa.edu
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|November 19, 2011
Summary
Cognitive functioning is a key predictor of future driving safety in older adults. This longitudinal study found that cognitive abilities, more than other factors, predicted on-road driving performance over time.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Neuroscience
- Transportation Safety
Background:
- Driving is crucial for older adults' independence.
- Assessing driving safety involves evaluating cognitive, visual, and motor functions.
- Longitudinal data on these factors' impact on driving is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine longitudinal changes in driving safety predictors and errors in older adults.
- To assess the rank-order stability of these predictors over three years.
- To determine the predictive power of baseline functioning on future driving errors.
Main Methods:
- A three-year longitudinal observational study was conducted.
- 111 neurologically normal older adults (60-89 years) participated.
- Driving safety was assessed via an 18-mile on-road test; predictors included visual, motor, cognitive, and visual attention functioning.
Main Results:
- Longitudinal changes in driving errors and cognitive functioning were minimal.
- Rank-order stability was moderate for safety errors and moderate to strong for cognitive and visual attention functioning.
- Only cognitive functioning significantly predicted future driving errors in multivariate analyses, controlling for other factors.
Conclusions:
- Age-related declines in driving performance appear gradually.
- Cognitive functioning is a robust predictor of future on-road driving performance in older adults, even when controlling for other abilities.
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