Assessment of Insight and Self-Awareness in Older Drivers

Abstract

Older drivers, particularly those with cognitive deficits related to dementia, are at increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. With the numbers of older drivers and potentially older drivers with early dementia rising worldwide, it is important to delineate factors which may put these groups at increased risk of an accident while driving. One such factor is a lack of insight into their deficits often found in drivers with cognitive impairment. Intact insight and self-monitoring skills are important prerequisites for safe driving; loss of these abilities may signal the need to curtail or cease driving. There are several measures that attempt to assess the construct of insight; however, few have been used with older drivers. We review the issues of self-awareness and driving, discuss characteristics of a selection of such measures potentially appropriate for older adults, and detail potential avenues for future research on insight inventories and driving. Use of such measures suggested in studies of driving in older populations may assist in identifying the drivers at increased risk for a motor vehicle accident.