Video Feedback Intervention for Cognitively Impaired Older Drivers

The goals of this clinical trial are to 1) document real-time impaired driving behaviors, and 2) reduce their occurrence, to improve the safety of cognitively impaired elders who continue to drive. This will be accomplished by placing small digital video event recording devices in the vehicles of 60 older cognitively impaired drivers. A 3-month baseline will establish the frequency of unsafe driving events, followed by a 3-month video feedback intervention during which the driver and family member will review the video recorded errors on a weekly basis. Active treatment will be compared to video monitoring with no feedback. A 6-month post-intervention phase will establish sustainability of the treatment. The results of this clinical trial will confirm the potential to improve driving safety among older drivers with cognitive impairment using a behavior modification approach aimed directly at the problem behaviors observed in their natural driving environment. Knowledge gained about the magnitude and duration of the treatment effect and the potential of using an internet based feedback program will provide the impetus to optimize and ultimately implement the intervention to improve the safety of older drivers with mild cognitive impairment and early AD.