This research aimed to develop appropriate assessment criteria to measure performance of aged drivers using an interactive PC-based driving simulator, and to determine what measures were associated with the occurrence of motor-vehicle crash. 129 older drivers residing in a metropolitan city volunteered to participate in this retrospective cohort study. Using the driving simulator, appropriate driving tasks were devised to test the older drivers, whose performances were assessed by 10 reliable assessment criteria. Logistic regression analysis was then conducted to determine those criteria that influence the self-reported crash outcome. As expected, driving skill of older drivers was found to decline with age. Over 60% of the sample participants reported having at least 1 motor-vehicle crash in the past year. Adjusting for age in a logistic regression analysis, the cognitive abilities associated with the crash occurrence were working memory, decision making under pressure of time, and confidence in driving at high speed. Findings of this retrospective study indicated those individuals at inflated risk of vehicle crashes could be identified using the PC-based interactive driving simulator. Prospective studies should be carried out to determine whether the driving simulator can predict future crash events. This work demonstrated an economical driving simulator approach to screen out problematic or unsafe older drivers before a more detailed but expensive road test is considered.
Abstract