The roles of working memory capacity, visual attention, and age in driving performance

Older adult drivers ’ disproportionate involvement in traffic fatalities coupled with growing population projections for this age group present a need for public policy that regulates the safety of our roadways. Before such a policy can be developed, a highly predictive model of the cognitive factors responsible for successful driving performance is necessary. The present study investigated the relationship between age and cognitive control on simulated driving performance to develop a predictive model for individual driving ability. Visual attention and working memory capacity of young adult college students and community dwelling older adults were tested using Useful Field of View ® and Operation Span which are thought to measure aspects of attention. These scores were correlated with participants ’ simulated driving performance. Preliminary results indicated that attentional measures are important predictors of driving performance. Results are discussed in terms of implications for public policy related to driving and aging. In 2004, older adults (65 and over) constituted only 12 % of the population, but, they accounted for 15 % of all traffic fatalities and 20 % of all pedestrian fatalities (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2005). When the likelihood of traffic accidents per miles traveled is considered, there is a U-shaped function relating driving fatality rates with age such that fatality rates decrease from teenage years to middle-age and then increase steadily with increasing age starting with drivers in their sixties (see Figure 1, adapted from Insurance Institut