The aim of this study was to gain insight in the prevalence of cognitive impairments among active older drivers and in driving performance of cognitively impaired ones. The study was implemented in the existing Dutch relicensing procedure for older drivers and consisted of three evaluation moments: a medical screening (for all subjects), a neuropsychological assessment and a test-drive (for candidates with cognitive impairments). In total, 2992 drivers were medically evaluated. In 4% of cases indications for impaired cognitive functioning were observed that could be evaluated and confirmed with neuropsychological tests. Eighty subjects performed an on-road test. Of these subjects, 57% were allowed to renew their driver's license, while in the remaining 43% no new licenses or restricted licenses were issued. During the test-drive, slow reactions and attention deficits were the most important causes for impaired fitness to drive. (Author/publisher)
Abstract