Older adults are highly dependent on the automobile to satisfy their mobility needs. In fact, the car is the primary mode of transportation for most older people. Driving is, therefore, an important component of the older person's well being and independence. However, it is well recognized that driving is often difficult and hazardous for older people. Older drivers contribute to more accidents per mile driven than their younger counterparts. Furthermore, they are more likely to be injured or die as a result of such accidents than younger drivers. As the population of older persons increases in the next few decades, there may be an increase in the number of accidents involving older drivers. This is of great concern to researchers and policy makers who wish to promote the mobility of older people and ensure their safety. While a great deal of research has been directed towards the study of the problems encountered by older drivers, there are still many unanswered questions. For example, little is known about the relationship of age-related changes in cognitive abilities to driving performance or the potential for training to improve driving performance. The proposed research will investigate the contribution of cognitive and perceptual dimensions upon the performance of driving tasks. These results will be used to identify driving activities that are sensitive to age effects. This information will be used to develop a simulator based training approach to supplement classroom approaches. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the simulator based training approach as compared to the conventional classroom approaches will also be conducted. The overall goal of the study is to develop strategies to improve older driver performance.
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