Maze identifies dangerous older drivers

A South Australian psychologist says dangerous older drivers can be identified by a simple timed pencil and paper test.

Dr Carol Snellgrove of Flinders Medical Centre tells DPS News her recent PhD study reveals a practical on-road driving test is unnecessary in identifying dangerous drivers.

She’s created a maze titled ‘Snellgrove Maze Task’ which can be completed within 60 seconds and without errors.

Saving time and money, Dr Snellgrove claims the maze can identify the most competent and dangerous cognitively impaired older drivers.

“What I am hoping is the maze will be able to identify drivers who are safe to stay on the road… it’s all about keeping older, safe people on the roads,” she says.

The test, which challenges the person’s attention and route planning, was recently trialled by 115 cognitively impaired older people at Adelaide’s Repatriation General Hospital, followed by an on-road 45-minute driving test.

Those who allegedly failed the on-road test allegedly took longer than 60 seconds to complete the maze and made two or more errors.

The test has also gained international recognition with American researchers who reportedly found the test highly accurate in predicting driving performance in older Americans.

Dr Snellgrove now hopes the test will form part of licence renewal processes in Australia and will be used by GPs to add to the annual medical and vision tests administered to South Australian drivers aged over 70 years.