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Early dementia is a 'growing threat' to road safety
After putting 115 elderly motorists to the test, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is convinced any driver of 65 and above with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia is "at very high risk of having a crash".
Each one of the tested motorists had cognitive problems associated with aging and 70% failed their on-road driving assessment.
Most of the group "broke an important road law" and "nearly half required physical intervention by the driving assessor at least once during the assessment".
The bureau is fully aware of the implications of the results - both in terms of road safety and the future wellbeing of Australia's aging population.
"The trips that older people make by car connect them to health and social services, and to social activities that make it possible to live with quality," says ATSB in a report on the tests. "This increased dependence on driving is unfortunately with a substantial cost."
The ATSB set out to measure that cost by recruiting a test group of elderly motorists through the Memory Clinic at Adelaide's Repatriation General Hospital. As well as the on-road tests, the 115 participants were also asked to complete a written "Maze Task" - a pencil-and-paper test specifically developed to measure attention, visuoconstruction skills, and the executive functions of planning and foresight. According to ATSB, such "cognitive domains" are considered critical to driving ability.
The written test proved to be a good harbinger of how the group would behave once they hit the road. "Participant driving faults were related to poor planning and observation, an inability to monitor and control car speed, poor positioning of the car on the road, confusion with pedals, and a lack of anticipatory or defensive driving," the ATSB said.
In fact it believes there is potential for the test to be used to screen elderly drivers before they renew their driving licences.
After extrapolating the results from the Adelaide tests, the ATSB believes there are likely to be some 162,500 older motorists on Australian roads today suffering some form of cognitive impairment. Together they are estimated to be involved in 107,250 "accidents" annually.
"For reasons of individual and public safety, a recommendation to preclude all older individuals with dementia, even in its early stage, from driving motor vehicles may well be appropriate," says ATSB. "Frequent supervision and evaluation of older drivers with mild cognitive impairment may also be in order."
Meanwhile, the Australian National University has announced it will investigate the psychological factors that contribute to safer driving among aged motorists.
"For the safety of all road users, it is necessary to develop methods of helping older adults to drive more safely, and of objectively identifying those who may need to reduce or cease driving," said research supervisor, Dr Kaarin Anstey.
