Study Explores Crash Risk Among Older Drivers

Aiming to better understand how older drivers' crash risk changes over time and to identify tools to measure this risk, University of Washington researchers applied a specific cognitive test to a group of 2,615 licensed drivers age 65 and older, reports ScienceBlog . In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society , the researchers employed the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument using item response theory (CASI-IRT), which assigns a score based on cognitive skills such as attention, concentration, short-term memory, visual construction, and judgment. The study did not include any individuals who had been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's. The findings suggest that CASI-IRT may be useful to evaluate crash risk.