A Portable Driving Simulator for Advising Older Adults

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Aging is accompanied by the loss of certain abilities important for safe driving. Thus, older driver crash rates are disproportionally high. More frequent, rigorous testing might remove some at-risk drivers from the road, but not without societal cost. Such testing, if age based, may be discriminatory, fails to account for wide individual differences presented by older adults, and leads to the loss of critical independence. Combining our knowledge of the types of age-related losses with technological advances, we might help many to continue driving longer while reducing crash risk. We have developed a unique driving simulator to address this opportunity. It is portable, and it permits the use of an individual's own vehicle, thus avoiding the discomfort driving an unfamiliar vehicle. We intend to employ this simulator in a program of intervention that combines first-hand (simulated) exposure to risky situations, immediate feedback, and confidential advisement. This approach can assist individuals to make informed driving choices, practice strategies to reduce risk, and, ultimately, reach a personal decision about driving cessation. This project will refine and test this simulator, demonstrate its validity by comparing older driver performance with performance on a previously validated high-fidelity simulator, and establish its efficacy through participant feedback.