Driving Skills Decline Among People With Early Alzheimer's

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Overall, the study results "suggest that a regular driving assessment program may actually reduce the frequency of motor vehicle accidents in drivers with mild dementia by increasing awareness among drivers and caregivers. This, however, may also result in premature termination of driving privileges for some persons with dementia," Ott said.

Ott and his colleagues also found that driving abilities could be affected by age as well as education levels. For each year after age 75, the odds of failing a road test increased by about 6 percent. And the risk of failing a road test increased 10 percent for each year a person lagged behind the average 14 years of education.

More information

The Alzheimer's Association has more about Alzheimer's and driving.