Development of On-road Test Items for Fitness-to-drive Evaluation of Older Drivers: A Preliminary Test

This preliminary study aimed to develop on-road test items for evaluating the fitness-to-drive of older drivers through a literature review and expert opinion survey. Literature on fitness-to-drive evaluation and on-road tests for older drivers was reviewed, and assessment tools were examined using search terms such as “driving,” “older drivers,” “on-road test,” “assessment,” and “measurement” in the PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases. The detailed items from the identified assessment tools were listed and organized based on the key components of older drivers' driving abilities. Additionally, these evaluation items were reviewed to determine their suitability with the scoring criteria of the domestic functional and on-road driving tests. The draft assessment items were then subjected to an opinion survey involving occupational therapists, driving rehabilitation specialists, and driving examiners at a driver's license examination center. A total of 34 on-road test items were finalized. This study is significant for developing on-road test items that support the safe driving of older drivers based on key components of their driving abilities. Future studies are expected to produce a more refined set of on-road test items, provided their reliability and validity are verified. It is hoped that the results of this study will serve as foundational data for determining the fitness-to-drive of older drivers.