Predictors of Lane‐Change Errors in Older Drivers

Abstract

To determine the factors that predict errors in executing proper lane changes among older drivers. Cross-sectional analysis of data from a longitudinal study. Maryland's Eastern Shore. One thousand eighty drivers aged 67 to 87 enrolled in the Salisbury Eye Evaluation Driving Study. Tests of vision, cognition, health status, and self-reported distress and a driving monitoring system in each participant's car, used to quantify lane-change errors. In regression models, measures of neither vision nor perceived stress were related to lane-change errors after controlling for age, sex, race, and residence location. In contrast, cognitive variables, specifically performance on the Brief Test of Attention and the Beery-Buktenicka Test of Visual-Motor Integration, were related to lane-change errors. The current findings underscore the importance of specific cognitive skills, particularly auditory attention and visual perception, in the execution of driving maneuvers in older individuals.