Does Personality Predict Driving Performance in Middle and Older Age? An Evidence-Based Literature Review

Abstract

Objective: To conduct a literature review of the relationship between personality and driving performance among middle-aged and older adults. Methods: We searched for relevant literature using Web of Science, PsycInfo, and PubMed and consulted with experts for recently published literature not yet catalogued in those databases. Using the American Academy of Neurology's classification criteria, we extracted data from 13 studies and assigned a class (I–IV) to each study. We grouped primary studies into 3 main categories of driving assessment (behavioral assessment: comprehensive driving evaluations, alternative on-road driving evaluations, driving simulations; automobile crashes: state-recorded crashes, self-reported crashes; self-report measures: self-reported driving behaviors). In all, we synthesized the relationship between personality and driving performance for middle-aged and older adults. Results: To assist clinicians and researchers in future considerations of the relationship between personality and driving performance, we provide specific evidence-based recommendations for several driving assessments: on-road driving evaluations (Level B), driving simulations (Level U), state-recorded crashes (Level C), self-reported crashes (Level C), and self-reported driving behaviors (Level C). Conclusions: Overall, we found evidence for personality as a reliable predictor of driving performance among older drivers. However, 2 caveats qualify our conclusions: the research considered only a limited number of personality variables and largely consisted of less valid tests of driving performance. Therefore, to truly understand the relationship between personality and driving performance, future research must consider a wider range of individual differences and employ more stringent tests and methodological designs to measure driving performance.