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

Driving skills can decline with age. This is particularly true for older people who suffer from cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD). Whether driving ability is actually impaired in such cases must be assessed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the assessment guidelines for fitness to drive. Seniors with early ADD may still be able to drive safely. The same applies to seniors with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is defined as the prodromal stage of ADD. How driving skills and fitness to drive change over time in these groups, and what driving factors are associated with this, can only be estimated from cross-sectional data, as longitudinal studies in this area are lacking. In the planned follow-up project, 80 healthy seniors and 80 seniors with MCI will be longitudinally analysed. Three years after the first examination, which included a detailed medical history, various clinical and neuropsychological tests, and an on-road driving assessment accompanied by a driving instructor and a driving expert, the subjects will undergo the same study protocol again. The aim of the study is to examine the extent to which driving competence decreases in healthy older drivers and drivers with MCI over a period of three years. Moreover, we are interested in the cognitive, sensory and motor changes associated with this decrease and the point at which fitness to drive may no longer be given. Additional research questions involve the subgroup of subjects with MCI who convert to ADD within the period of three years (estimated conversion rate of around 25%). Finally, it is of interest whether and to what extent a combination of driving-relevant risk factors can predict a decline in driving competence over time and a loss of fitness to drive. Overall, the planned follow-up study allows a direct transfer of scientific findings into practice. The results of the study will provide important basic knowledge for a valid and at the same time economical assessment of driving skills in healthy seniors and seniors with MCI or ADD. An objective assessment of fitness to drive, in turn, forms the basis for optimal counselling of older road users and the planning of targeted training measures to maintain mobility and participation.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants