Adults 65 and older use potentially distracting electronic devices while driving

Adults 65 years and older and their use of electronic devices while driving remains an understudied area of research. Distracted driving is a major risk for motor vehicle crashes. It is unlikely that older adults are immune to the prevalence and integration of technology in everyday life. The purpose of this study is to gather preliminary data on the prevalence and frequency of technology use while driving in an older adult sample. This study used a cross-sectional design and examined a sample of cognitively normal older adults (aged ≥65 years, N=100) enrolled in longitudinal studies at the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The participants were administered a survey that measured the prevalence and frequency of use of certain electronic devices (e.g., radio, dashboard controls, cellular phone, Global Positioning System (GPS), text-messaging, and e-mailing) while driving over the previous month. In addition, we used this survey to assess whether preclinical Alzheimer Disease (AD) is a predictor of the use of electronic devices while driving in a subset of participants with biomarkers available (n=30). Composite scores reflecting the six main categories of device use were employed as dependent variables to assess their correlation with AD biomarker values. Older adults are using electronic devices while driving; 91% reported listening to the radio; 56% reported use of a cellular phone, 79% reported use of dashboard controls, 50% owned a smart phone, 39% used a Global Positioning System (GPS), and 3% reported texting while driving. There appeared to be no association of electronic device usage with preclinical AD, although small sample sizes limits conclusions. The results of this pilot study suggest that older adults are frequently engaging with electronic devices while driving. Distracted driving activities related to in-car technologies may be placing older adults and society at increased risk for motor vehicle crashes.