![]() To our knowledge, only one study has validated the standardized road test against motor vehicle crash frequency in a mixed sample that included drivers with dementia. This construct has not been adequately defined, although a history of an at-fault crash may be a simple proxy ( O’Connor, Kapust, Lin, Hollis, & Jones, 2010). ![]() Some older adults have had poor lifetime driving habits that could contribute to impaired driving outcomes yet could not be attributed to their new onset dementia. Test-taking anxiety in some participants may affect road test results ( Bhalla, Papandonatos, Stern, & Ott, 2007). The validity of road testing cognitively impaired older drivers as a measure of driving competence can be challenged by the lack of comparisons to real-world driving. 76 for total scores) probably because of traffic changes that occurred between the two road tests or variability in human performance (e.g., because of medication, fatigue, etc. Retest reliability, however, was lower (.53 for global ratings and. More recently, on-road tests in mixed normal and dementia samples from two large studies have shown interrater reliabilities ranging from a kappa of. This landmark study demonstrated the potential for road testing as a valid and reliable outcome in research studies of older drivers. Internal consistency for the closed course was. (1994) later examined 30 older drivers with a range of cognitive function including dementia on a combined closed course and open-traffic course, demonstrating a significant relationship between performances in the two environments. Carr, Jackson, Madden, and Cohen (1992) demonstrated stability of driving skills for older drivers using a low-intensity standardized road test on a college campus. ![]() Road test designs make comparisons across studies difficult, and differences include the number of assessors in the vehicle, scoring procedures, and the environment, duration, and course ( Wheatley & Di, 2008).Ī large number of research studies have used road tests as an outcome measure in neuropsychological studies attempting to define a screening tool for impaired driving. These factors include, but are not limited to, uncontrollable environmental factors within or across courses (e.g., changes in traffic density, course familiarity), driver experience (e.g., occupations that require driving at a very high skill level), driver intrinsic factors (e.g., personality traits, lifelong driving habits, test-taking anxiety, fatigue), and assessor differences (e.g., training, biases, experience). However, the validity of this approach in the special population of cognitively impaired older drivers has not been as rigorously evaluated.Ī wide range of variables may affect the reliability and validity of the road test. ![]() Test characteristics for on-road driving tests in elders without dementia show good interrater and test–retest reliability, internal consistency, and correlation between global and total performance scores in research settings ( DiStefano & Macdonald, 2003 Justiss, Mann, Stav, & Velozo, 2006 Kay, Bundy, Clemson, & Jolly, 2008). Given this apparent face validity, road testing has been widely adapted as a tool to assess driving competence of older people who may be at risk for unsafe driving because of accompanying medical illnesses, such as dementia ( Carr & Ott, 2010). Road testing has long been a time-honored national standard for licensing new drivers. Feel free to share the best tips and tricks you’ve found helpful using our hashtag #REDsTestTips.A major risk factor for hazardous driving in the elderly is cognitive impairment. ![]() You will also be able to find the series on our social media channels. RED instructor, Dave Dunsford, provides advice on topics including independent driving, driving in wet weather and how to perfect parallel parking – all the key things that learners need to nail their test! The series of videos can be found on our YouTube channel and is being featured weekly in the motoring section of the i news website. We hope our learners can use these videos as a tool to help them pass their practical test. RED’s Test Tips is a series of five, fun videos that feature a selection of top driving tips. We are excited to announce the release of our new, five-part video series aimed at helping learner drivers pass their test first time! ![]()
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