Benefits of Exercise for Aging Drivers

Physical exercise is known to have numerous benefits: improving physical fitness, including strengthening joints and muscles, controlling weight, etc., as well as reducing numerous health risks, improving sleep, reducing stress, and overall improvement in mental health and mood. But, can physical exercise actually help improve driving performance? As the population continues to age and drivers show a desire to maintain mobile autonomy, researchers have turned their attention to discovering ways to prolong safe driving ability for older adults.

Aging Affects Driving Skills

Aging is associated with a decline in a number of visual, cognitive and physical functions, which can have a direct negative impact on driving fitness. Older drivers show a higher crash rate per distance travelled and an increased risk of injury or death in the event of a traffic crash. “Diverse perceptive, cognitive, and motor factors have been associated with driving difficulties and crash incidence in older adults”, according to a 2008 study [Marmeleira, 2008] showing the relationship between exercise and driving performance in older adults. “…measures of attention, reaction time, memory, executive function, mental status, visual function, and physical function were associated with driving outcome measures.”

In addition to general aging effects, health issues such as cardiovascular illness, diabetes, depression, dementia, and various medications can have negative effects on the ability of an older adult to safely operate a vehicle.

It has also been shown that mobile autonomy is linked to greater sense of self-worth and is important for maintaining independence in older adult populations. Many rely on personal transportation for medical appointments, maintaining social interaction, and activities for daily living.

Effects of Exercise

“Interestingly, the practice of physical activities has a positive effect on several perceptive, cognitive, and physical abilities as well as on health factors that are considered important for driving performance and safety among older adults,” the study suggested. Aging adults who regularly participate in physical exercise and are considered physically fit show greater efficiency in information processing, enhanced attention capacity (especially in multitasking situations), and better performance on tasks demanding visual-spatial processing.

The purpose of the above-mentioned study was to investigate the effects of participation in a regular exercise program on several abilities associated with driving performance in older adults. The results showed that exercise has the potential of enhancing several abilities relevant for driving performance and safety and, therefore, should be promoted to older adults interested in maintaining mobile autonomy.

The study included a 12-week exercise program during which participants completed three, 60-minute workouts each week designed specifically to challenge perceptive, cognitive, and physical abilities. Assessments were conducted before and after the 12-week program on both the research group and a control group to determine if any significant improvements could be measured. Assessments focused on behavioral speed, visual attention, psychomotor performance, speed perception, and executive functioning. “Significant positive effects were found at a 12-week follow-up resulting from participation in the exercise program,” the study concluded.

“Although vehicle operations become relatively more automatic with experience, driving is a complex task that involves a variety of skills. Of these skills, the most important are the acquisition and processing of information and the ability to make appropriate and timely decisions based on this information.”

Mind and Body

Workouts during the 12-week program stressed several of these complexities. The design of the sessions incorporated aerobic fitness and physical tasks that induced the participants to solve problems and respond to challenging situations. The idea was those physical activities that make large cognitive demands may influence cognition more than repetitive and cyclic activities. In other words, the mind and bodies of participants were stretched and challenged. Examples include walking in different directions while executing another motor task with the arms, maintaining several balloons in the air at one time, walking in response to auditory cues, and memorizing specific walking courses.

Most older drivers expressed a willingness to engage in exercise programs if an association between physical fitness and driving could be demonstrated. The desire to remain independent is evident and specially designed physical exercise has shown to induce a positive impact on motor and cognitive functions necessary to maintain driving fitness. In patients with health concerns, specifically cardiovascular illness, dementia, and other age-related illnesses, physical fitness may be the key to staying on the road safely.

Citation: Marmeleira, Jose F, et al. “The Effects of an Exercise Program on Several Abilities Associated with Driving Performance in Older Adults.” Accident Analysis and Prevention, vol. 41, 16 Sept. 2008, pp. 90–97.

DriveSafety Can Help

For patients working on evaluating fitness to drive, DriveSafety’s clinical simulators can be the key to assessing skills in a safe and controlled environment. Over time, simulators can show the progression of driving fitness encouraging patients to continue physical activities that will improve overall fitness to drive. DriveSafety’s certified technicians can help create simulated rides specific to each patient and work with care teams to reach patient goals related to safe driving. Call to schedule an appointment with a technician today.