Date: August 28, 2001
Contact: Pam Willenz
Public Affairs Office
(202) 336-5707 (until 8/21)
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COGNITIVE PROCESSING SPEED IS BEST WAY TO ASSESS RISK FACTORS IN OLDER DRIVERS AND CAN IMPROVE ABILITY, SAYS NEW STUDY

Current Measures Of Visual Processes Found Not To Be Good Predictors Of Driving Impairment

SAN FRANCISCO - Older adults (65+) have more crashes per mile driven than any other age group and are more likely to die in these accidents than any other adult age group, according to studies on driving fatalities. Current measures of driving ability and risk factors, like visual acuity tests that are used for most driving tests are not always accurate in determining who is at risk for accidents. Cognitive researchers can now recommend a tool that can keep older drivers on the road longer and safer by measuring and even improving their visual information processing, an important measure of driving ability. These findings will be reported on at the American Psychological Association's (APA) 109^th Annual Convention in San Francisco, CA.

From a meta-analysis of studies on risk factors for unsafe driving - scores on measures of visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and visual fields, visuospatial function and cognitive flexibility, mental status and visual information processing ability (UFOVÒ ) - psychologist Daniel Roenker, Ph.D., and co-authors found that UFOVÒ provides the most accurate measure of older drivers' abilities. UFOVÒ was found to be more accurate than many of the tests now commonly in use. These studies have also shown that UFOVÒ performance can improve driving ability through speed of processing training, which sharpens many of the skills a person uses while driving.

Results show that visual acuity, which is routinely evaluated in state Departments of Motor Vehicles, is a weak predictor of driving impairment because it does not mimic the demands of driving. Most crash-involved drivers have excellent visual function, said the authors. Measures of mental status were found to be a moderate predictor of driving impairment and UFOVÒ was the strongest predictor of driving impairment.

Not only does UFOVÒ predict impaired driving, but speed of processing training that improves UFOVÒ also improves actual driving ability, according to the findings from these studies. Improved UFOVÒ performance transfers to improved driving, both on-the-road and in a driving simulator, said Dr. Roenker. A study currently under review has shown that speed of processing training resulted in a reduction in the number of on-the-road hazardous driving maneuvers and shortened response time to selected stimuli in a driving simulator. These improvements were maintained over an 18-month follow-up period.

Preliminary results of another driving simulation study being conducted by the authors indicate that detection of moving targets originating in the periphery of a driver's view appears to be improved by speed of processing training as well. "UFOVÒ holds much promise for training older people who may be at risk for driving accidents to be better drivers," said the authors. A separate sample of approximately 3,000 older adults is participating in a large scale clinical trial evaluating the impact of speed of processing training on measures of everyday mobility.

"Currently UFOVÒ is being used as part of a brief screening battery in a large study in Maryland. The study is designed to determine the effectiveness of the battery in a 'real world' setting. The long-term goal is to identify early at-risk drivers so the appropriate remediation can be provided and maximum mobility maintained," said the authors.

Presentation: "Enhancing Safety and Mobility of Older Drivers: A Meta Analysis," Daniel Roenker, Ph.D., Western Kentucky University; Karlene Ball, Ph.D., Virginia Wadley, Ph.D., Jerri Edwards, Ph.D., Olivio Clay, B.S., and David Roth, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham; Session 5009, 8:00 - 9:50 AM, Tuesday, August 28, Moscone Center - South Building, Room 270

Full text available from the APA Public Affairs Office

Daniel Roenker, Ph.D., can be reached at (270) 745-2439
Karlene Ball, Ph.D., can be reached at (205) 975-2296

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 155,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.

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