Cognitive and psychomotor tests as predictors of on-road driving ability in older primary care patients

Abstract

This study examined how accurately different cognitive and psychomotor assessment tools could predict driving ability among older primary care patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 50 older drivers (73.1 ± 7.0 years) referred by physicians for psychological assessment during a fitness to drive examination. The participants underwent to an on-road driving test and an assessment protocol including the Senior Drivers Battery (SDB) currently administered at the Mobility and Land Transports Institute (MLTI) in Portugal, the Useful Field of View (UFOV) test, Stroke Drivers Screening Assessment (SDSA), Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R), Trail Making Test, Key Search, WAIS-III Vocabulary and Block Design. Using logistic regression analysis, the best test predictors of on-road driving derived from the SDSA, ACE-R, UFOV and SDB. Specific measures of processing speed and divided attention, visuospatial abilities, executive functions, psychomotor speed and global cognitive functioning may be useful to predict unsafe driving. Practical implications are discussed with a view for developing new assessment models for determining driving fitness in older adults.