Research
The Role of Cognitive and Visual Abilities as Predictors in the Multifactorial Model of Driving Safety
The current study evaluated part of the Multifactorial Model of Driving Safety to elucidate the relative importance of cognitive function and a limited range of standard measures of visual function in relation to the capacity to drive safely.
Community dwelling drivers aged 65 to 96 were assessed using a battery of measures of cognitive and visual function.
Factor analysis of these predictor variables yielded factors including executive/speed, vision (measured by visual acuity and contrast sensitivity), spatial, visual closure and working memory.
Cognitive and vision factors explained 83 to 95% of age related variance in the capacity to drive safely.