Older drivers: On-road and off-road test results.

Eighty-five volunteer drivers, 65-85 years old, without cognitive impairments impacting on their driving were examined, in order to investigate driving errors characteristic for older drivers. In addition, any relationships between cognitive off-road and on-road tests results, the latter being the gold standard, were identified. Performance measurements included Trail Making Test (TMT), Nordic Stroke Driver Screening Assessment (NorSDSA), Useful Field of View (UFOV), self-rating driving performance and the two on-road protocols P-Drive and ROA. Some of the older drivers displayed questionable driving behaviour. In total, 21% of the participants failed the on-road assessment. Some of the specific errors were more serious than others. The most common driving errors embraced speed; exceeding the speed limit or not controlling the speed. Correlations with the P-Drive protocol were established for NorSDSA total score (weak), UFOV subtest 2 (weak), and UFOV subtest 3 (moderate). Correlations with the ROA protocol were established for UFOV subtest 2 (weak) and UFOV subtest 3 (weak). P-Drive and self ratings correlated weakly, whereas no correlation between self ratings and the ROA protocol was found. The results suggest that specific problems or errors seen in an older person's driving can actually be "normal driving behaviours".

[1]  Janine G. Walker,et al.  Cognitive, sensory and physical factors enabling driving safety in older adults. , 2005, Clinical psychology review.

[2]  K Sundet,et al.  Comprehensive driving assessment: neuropsychological testing and on-road evaluation of brain injured patients. , 2000, Scandinavian journal of psychology.

[3]  M. Albert,et al.  Performance-based driving evaluation of the elderly driver: safety, reliability, and validity. , 1994, Journal of gerontology.

[4]  Nadina B. Lincoln,et al.  Validation of a cognitive assessment: predicting driving performance after stroke , 1992 .

[5]  K. Ball,et al.  Visual attention problems as a predictor of vehicle crashes in older drivers. , 1993, Investigative ophthalmology & visual science.

[6]  Anita Bundy,et al.  Validity and reliability of the on-road driving assessment with senior drivers. , 2008, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[7]  Torbjörn Falkmer,et al.  A Swedish survey of occupational therapists’ involvement and performance in driving assessments , 2007, Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy.

[8]  M. Sloane,et al.  Visual processing impairment and risk of motor vehicle crash among older adults. , 1998, JAMA.

[9]  R. Reitan.  Trail Making Test: Manual for Administration and Scoring , 1992 .

[10]  T Galski,et al.  Evaluating Fitness to Drive after Cerebral Injury: Basic Issues and Recommendations for Medical and Legal Communities , 2000, The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation.

[11]  M. Tinetti,et al.  Development of a Test Battery to Identify Older Drivers at Risk for Self‐Reported Adverse Driving Events , 1998, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[12]  David Shinar,et al.  How Automatic Is Manual Gear Shifting? , 1998, Hum. Factors.

[13]  K. Tham,et al.  Awareness of driving disability in people with stroke tested in a simulator , 2008, Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy.

[14]  C Lundberg,et al.  Can a Physician Recognize an Older Driver with Increased Crash Risk Potential? , 1996, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[15]  W. Brouwer,et al.  Fitness to drive in older drivers with cognitive impairment , 2000, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

[16]  Marilyn Di Stefano,et al.  Assessment of older drivers: relationships among on-road errors, medical conditions and test outcome. , 2003, Journal of safety research.

[17]  Jerzy Leppert,et al.  Prediction of driving ability after stroke and the effect of behind-the-wheel training. , 2006, Scandinavian journal of psychology.

[18]  Karlene K. Ball,et al.  Reliability and Validity of Useful Field of View Test Scores as Administered by Personal Computer , 2005, Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology.

[19]  M. Reger,et al.  The relationship between neuropsychological functioning and driving ability in dementia: a meta-analysis. , 2004, Neuropsychology.

[20]  D. Cahn-Weiner,et al.  Driving scenes test of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) and on-road driving performance in aging and very mild dementia. , 2005, Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists.

[21]  Beth T. Stalvey,et al.  Driving avoidance and functional impairment in older drivers. , 1998, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[22]  Anders Kottorp,et al.  P-drive: assessment of driving performance after stroke. , 2006, Journal of rehabilitation medicine.

[23]  Kaarin J Anstey,et al.  The On‐Road Difficulties of Older Drivers and Their Relationship with Self‐Reported Motor Vehicle Crashes , 2009, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[24]  J. Morris,et al.  Driving Performance in Persons with Mild Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type , 1993, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[25]  Carolyn A. Unsworth,et al.  Review of tests contributing to the occupational therapy off-road driver assessment , 2005 .

[26]  A R Dobbs,et al.  A comparative approach to identify unsafe older drivers. , 1998, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[27]  D. Persson,et al.  The elderly driver: deciding when to stop. , 1993, The gerontologist.

[28]  Barbara Freund,et al.  Self-rated driving performance among elderly drivers referred for driving evaluation. , 2005, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[29]  R A Marottoli,et al.  Confidence in, and self-rating of, driving ability among older drivers. , 1998, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[30]  N. Korner-Bitensky,et al.  Predicting ability to drive after stroke. , 1998, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[31]  W. Brouwer,et al.  Driving competence in older persons. , 1994, Disability and rehabilitation.

[32]  B. Gerdle,et al.  Neuropsychological aspects of driving after a stroke—in the simulator and on the road , 2000 .

[33]  Anders Kottorp,et al.  P-drive on-road: internal scale validity and reliability of an assessment of on-road driving performance in people with neurological disorders. , 2010, Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy.

[34]  G. Fox,et al.  On-road assessment of driving competence after brain impairment: review of current practice and recommendations for a standardized examination. , 1998, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[35]  T. Falkmer,et al.  The Nordic stroke driver screening assessment as predictor for the outcome of an on-road test. , 2010, Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy.

[36]  Emmanuel Strypstein,et al.  Determinants of driving after stroke. , 2002, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[37]  Daniel N. Allen,et al.  Trail-Making Test , 2010 .

[38]  H Alm,et al.  Neuropsychological aspects of driving after brain lesion: simulator study and on-road driving. , 1997, Applied neuropsychology.

[39]  G. Fox,et al.  Alzheimer's Disease and Driving: Prediction and Assessment of Driving Performance , 1997, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[40]  J R Stewart,et al.  Cognitive test performance and crash risk in an older driver population. , 1998, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[41]  L. Hakamies‐Blomqvist,et al.  The assessment of fitness to drive after a stroke: the Nordic Stroke Driver Screening Assessment. , 2003, Scandinavian journal of psychology.