Assessment of driving fitness in seniors

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Max Töpper
• Subject Area: Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 447744963

Aging can be associated with impaired driving fitness. This does not only apply to healthy seniors but particularly to seniors suffering from cognitive deficits due to a neurodegenerative disease. Whether an individual actually shows impaired driving fitness or not, however, is dependent on disease severity and etiology. In fact, early stages of Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) may not necessarily lead to impaired driving fitness. The same applies to seniors in the prodromal stage of AD, also known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). According to official guidelines, neuropsychological assessment may be utilized to identify drivers at high risk. Several studies in the last decade, however, showed that cognitive tests do not differentiate between fit and unfit drivers accurately enough. The main reason for this inaccuracy seems to be the variety of non-cognitive risk factors. Consequently, multifactorial approaches are needed, including the whole range of possible cognitive and non-cognitive determinants of driving fitness. In the current study, 100 healthy seniors and 100 seniors with MCI are planned to be assessed with an extensive test battery of clinical and neuropsychological measures. In addition, they undergo standardized on-road testing evaluated by a driving instructor and a traffic psychologist (gold standard).Thereby, it is of particular interest, whether and how a combination of empirically robust cognitive and non-cognitive risk factors are associated with driving fitness and allow a differentiation between fit and unfit drivers. Another aim of the study involves the evaluation and optimization of an economic and valid multifactorial approach (SAFE; Safety Advice For Elderly drivers; Schulz et al., 2016) to assess driving fitness in older drivers and drivers with MCI. Importantly, the study design may particularly allow the identification of those MCI patients who should not drive anymore. Overall, the study allows a direct transfer of scientific evidence into clinical practice. The results of the study will provide important information for a valid and economic assessment of driving fitness in healthy seniors and seniors with MCI. An objective assessment in turn provides the basis for sound advices and the development of effective training methods.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants