The goal of this study was to determine the relative effects of age and compromised vision on driving-related skills and on-road accidents. A total of 107 subjects were tested. Four groups varied in age and visual status as follows: 1) a younger, normally sighted group; 2) an older, normally sighted group; 3) a younger, visually compromised group; and 4) an older, visually compromised group. Driving performance was evaluated by self-reported and state-documented accident frequency and by an assessment of performance on an interactive driving simulator. The older groups had poorer driving-related skills, as measured by the interactive driving simulator, than younger groups, but older groups did not have significantly higher on-road accident rates compared to the younger groups. The older subjects and those with compromised vision had reduced risk-taking scores, as measured with a self-report questionnaire. In addition, all older drivers had increased eye movements and had slower simulator driving speeds, which indicates that behavioral compensation is made for visuocognitive/motor deficits. Regression analyses revealed that compromised vision and visual field loss predicted real-world accidents in the study population.
Samenvatting