The use of neuropsychological tests to study the effects of aging on driving performance in the UK

Research was conducted to identify a series of neuropsychological tests to assess the ability to drive. Driving performance of young and old UK drivers was modeled through multiple linear regression and univariate logistic regression tools. The UFOV3 test (i.e. the third subtest of the UFOV test) had comparatively high discriminating ability in separating poor-drivers from not-poor-drivers, with 92.86% of the drivers correctly classified; the UFOV3 test resulted in a Sensitivity of 62.5%. Age and a composite cognitive measure were also found to be sound discriminators of poor-drivers and not-poor-drivers with 91.07% and 89.28% of the drivers correctly classified respectively; both age and the composite cognitive measure resulted in a Sensitivity of 50%. It was found that the commonly recommended Clock Drawing Test and the Trail Making-B test were insignificant predictors of driving ability. Results suggest that for a score greater than 220 on the UFOV3 test, the driver may be further evaluated by a driving specialist to ascertain questionable driving behavior. Also, drivers above the age of 77 were more susceptible to exhibiting unusual driving behavior; if such drivers have UFOV3 scores greater than 220 it would be more appropriate to evaluate driving behavior through a driving specialist.