Safe operation of a vehicle is complex and may be affected by functional impairments associated with dementia such as reduced attention, processing speed, executive function and visuospatial skills. A major challenge in fitness-to-drive (FTD) decisions for drivers with dementia is determining the point at which safety becomes compromised. Traditionally, the management of this group has fallen on licensing authorities and health practitioners. Current tools and approaches for assessing the safety of drivers with dementia are limited - there is no objective data on how driving performance changes as the disease progresses, and no criteria for determining at what point it is no longer safe to drive.
Consideration of alternative approaches to managing FTD for drivers with dementia is an urgent priority for licencing agencies. This research aims to examine the potential benefits of driver monitoring systems (DMS) that would be suitable for use with drivers with dementia. The study will describe characteristic performance parameters associated with driving behaviour of drivers with early stage dementia compared with healthy drivers without dementia, and will develop/trial a prototype DMS adapted for drivers with dementia.
A mixed methods approach is applied, including:
- Desktop review of best practice DMS applications for FTD,
- Simulator-based case-control study: monitoring driving in simulator and functional assessments,
- Naturalistic driving study [NDS]: a case-control study in drivers' own vehicles to monitor real-world driving,
- Identification of key risk factors through data mining of simulator and NDS driving data using AI techniques,
- Development/trial of prototype technologies.
This presentation will focus on the driving characteristics from the driving simulator component of the study and associated cognitive attributes. The findings of the project will be discussed in terms of implications for the management and support of safe mobility for drivers with dementia through DMS technology to enhance current FTD licensing processes.