Predictors of Lane-Change Errors in Older Drivers

OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors that predict errors in executing proper lane changes among older drivers. DESIGN: Cross‐sectional analysis of data from a longitudinal study. SETTING: Maryland's Eastern Shore. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand eighty drivers aged 67 to 87 enrolled in the Salisbury Eye Evaluation Driving Study. MEASUREMENTS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSION: 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.