Useful field of view and other neurocognitive indicators of crash risk in older adults

Older adults represent a rapidly growing segment of the driving population. Although most older drivers are safe, research has shown that this group h as more crashes per mile driven than most other age groups. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the utility of a set of commonly u sed neuropsychological/cognitive tests in comparison to a newer measure of visual attention (Useful Field of View; UFOV (R)) in predicting state-recor ded, at-fault crashes over the previous five years in a group of older adul t drivers. Participants (N = 239) completed tests of mental status, visual attention memory, and UFOV (R). Results show that among: all cognitive test s administered, UFOV (R) was most strongly related to crash involvement, wi th high levels of sensitivity (86.3%) and specificity (84.3%) at the standa rd cutoff score of 40% reduction. Practical implications for the assessment of crash risk are discussed.