The Assessment of Fitness to Drive in Older Adults

Age-related changes in sensory-motor and cognitive abilities, in addition to medical conditions such as dementia, strokes, and Parkinson disease can affect driving safety. Nonetheless, evidence to help physicians make decisions about fitness to drive is still scant. This study aimed at examining test results in a sample of 116 older adults (age range 65-94, M = 82.78, SD = 6.46) undergoing cognitive assessment upon request of the Provincial Medical Commissions of Public Health Services over the period 2015-2016. The sample included older adults a) with no indications of cognitive impairment or brain pathologies (35%); b) who failed a preliminary MMSE screening (14%); c) suffering from strokes (16%), chronic cerebrovascular disease (10%), Mild Cognitive Impairment (12%), and Parkinson disease (13%). The assessment of driving-related cognitive abilities was conducted using four standardized tests of the DRIVESTA test Battery (Vienna Test System Traffic). The Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices were used as a measure of fluid intelligence. Regression analyses revealed that age, education, and intelligence were significantly associated with the ability to correctly react to rapidly changing visual and acoustic stimuli, as well as with accuracy in an attentional task, while no associations were found with observational abilities. Intelligence also predicted reaction speed and inhibitory control. Overall, fluid intelligence was a more consistent predictor of performances to driving-related tests than age.