Research

The Relationship Between Visual Abilities and Driving Habits Among Older Drivers: A LongROAD Study

  • This examines the relationship between measures of visual function at baseline and objective measure of driving habits averaged over a one-year follow-up period in a sample of older drivers.

  • Results showed that participants had relatively good visual function at the time of their enrollment in the study.

  • Analyses found that lower visual acuity and visual-spatial abilities were related to the driving behavior categories of staying closer to home, less driving overall and greater driving avoidance, although not for every measure.

  • Poorer contrast sensitivity, which is related to one’s ability to see in low-light conditions, was associated with avoidance of both nighttime driving and driving on high-speed roads but was not related to driving closer to home or overall driving.

Publication date

October 22, 2018

Publication

Research Brief

Sponsor Institution

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Authors

David W. Eby, Lisa J. Molnar, Lidia P. Kostyniuk, Jennifer S. Zakrajsek, L. Ryan Nicole Zanier, Renee M. St. Louis, S. Stanciu, Carolyn DiGuiseppi, Guohua Li, Thelma J. Mielenz, D. Strogatz, D. Leblanc, Scott E. Bogard, Jacqui Smith, Raymond Yung, Linda Nyquist
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