高齢者ドライバーにおける主観的認知機能障害と自動車の運転行動に関する研究

抄録

Cognitive functions decline with aging, and the symptoms are visible while performing daily activities, such as driving a car. Such changes are apparent to the affected person, and it is important to examine elderly drivers with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). In this study, we analyzed the cognitive functions of 672 local residents using a cognitive function balancer (CogEvo^®) to examine the relationship between age and cognitive functions. We observed that cognitive functions such as orientation, attention, memory, planning, and spatial cognition gradually start declining from 40 years of age. Additionally, we compared the differences in driving behaviors of the “elderly driver group with SCI” and “elderly driver group without SCI” for 172 elderly drivers aged 65 years and above. Our findings indicated a decline in cognitive functions with age. Changes in car driving behavior that appeared in the early stages of SCI included oversight (decrease in attention), response to suddenness (decrease in judgement), and key misplacement (decreased memory). We observed that changes in driving behavior occurred at the SCI stage, which is earlier than pre-mild cognitive impairment. Thus, subjective cognitive dysfunction may lead to a change in driving behavior. There is an urgent need to support elderly drivers and to develop an environment where elderly people can drive safely.