The purpose of this study was to identify visual factors that are significantly associated with increased vehicle crashes in older drivers. Several aspects of vision and visual information processing were assessed in 294 drivers aged 55 and 90 years. The sample was stratified with respect to age and crash frequency during the 5-year period before the test date. Variables assessed included eye health status, visual sensory function, the size of the useful field of view, and cognitive status. The size of the useful field of view, a test of visual attention, had high sensitivity (89 percent) and specificity (81 percent) in predicting which older drivers had a history of crash problems. This study suggests that policies that restrict driving privileges based solely on age or on common stereotypes of age-related declines in vision and cognition are scientifically unfounded. (A)
Abstract