Age-related compensation strategies after registration of driving errors

With increasing age changes of sensory, motor, and cognitive functions take place, that can have an impact on driving and may induce driving problems and errors, that are partly registered in the ”Verkehrszentralregister (VZR)“. In order to cope with functional deficits and to continue driving, elderly often activate compensation mechanisms. The present study investigated in which respect old drivers which were registered either only once or rather several times in the VZR differ with respect to compensation strategies. To this aim two groups of old active drivers (72+) were interviewed and a subsample additionally underwent psychological tests and a driving test in real traffic. Concerning compensation strategies, psychometric tests or driving in real traffic there was no significant difference between singleand multiple registered seniors. Overall, the results of the present study provide no consistent evidence for the assumption that multiple-registered seniors have larger sensory, motor or cognitive deficits or different personality traits and self-perceptions than single-registered seniors.