Functional Assessment of Driving Capacity of Older Drivers Compared with Non-older Drivers Using Clinical Evaluations and Driving Simulations.

Background: This study used various tools, including a self-assessment questionnaire, the Clinical Assessment of Driver-Related Skills (CADReS), and a driving simulation, to discriminate between older and non-older drivers.

Methods: We evaluated driving habits, driving-related health behaviors, and morbidities using a self-assessment questionnaire and examined visual, motor, and cognitive functions using the CADReS and a vehicle simulator of four junction scenarios that are typical of accidents involving older drivers. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated to compare the age-related discriminating ability of these tools between older (≥65 years) and non-older participants.

Results: Thirty of the 40 participants (75%) were older. Older drivers were slower than non-older drivers according to the rapid walking pace (8.0 vs. 6.1 seconds), and their cognitive function was poorer based on the trail-making test (117 vs. 51 seconds). While driving on the vehicle simulator, the rate of violating traffic rules was higher and the maximal velocity was slower in the older group than in the non-older group. The AUC values for CADReS and driving simulation outcomes ranged from 0.59 to 0.95, while the rapid walking pace, trail-making test, and velocity of the left turn at an acute junction in the dark showed high discriminatory power (AUC>0.9).

Conclusions: The rapid walking pace and trail-making test in CADReS, as well as the driving simulation, were useful tools to discriminate between older and non-older drivers.