GPS navigation assistance is associated with driving mobility in older drivers

Maintaining driving mobility is essential for maintaining independence and wellbeing within older age. However, cognitive decline caused by age-related neurophysiological changes typically causes older drivers to self-regulate their driving and reduce their driving mobility. Electronic navigation assistance technologies, such as Sat-Nav, are increasingly popular amongst older drivers and can potentially alleviate cognitive demands amongst older drivers to enhance driving mobility. Yet despite the growing usage of navigation assistance technologies amongst older drivers, little research has been conducted to establish how and when they are used by older drivers, and it is not known whether they can offset cognitive decline to promote driving mobility. 895 older drivers (mean age: 71.04) were recruited for a prospective cohort study. Participants self-reported their navigation assistance usage as well as their driving mobility (frequency, space), before completing objective cognitive assessments (allocentric and egocentric orientation, recognition and source memory) and a subjective spatial orientation ability questionnaire. We establish profiles of older driver navigation assistance usage, showing that a considerable majority of older drivers use navigation assistance - with the majority using it for some journeys, and most commonly for the entire journey to a new destination. We show that navigation assistance usage is associated with worse subjective orientation ability, but not objective cognitive performance, and is positively associated with greater driving mobility. Importantly, we demonstrate that within individuals with poor wayfinding ability, navigation assistance usage is associated with increased driving mobility. In conclusion, navigation assistance usage is associated with increased driving mobility within healthy older drivers and is relied upon more by individuals with lower wayfinding confidence. As navigation assistance devices can specifically enhance driving frequency in individuals with worse wayfinding ability, who are more likely to reduce their driving, they should be recommended to older adults and integrated into comprehensive strategies for promoting driving independence in the older adult population.Author summary: Maintaining driving mobility in older age is important for quality of life and wellbeing. However, as people age, worsening spatial abilities typically lead to reduced driving. GPS devices can potentially help mitigate navigation concerns, as they provide turn-by-turn navigation assistance while driving. However, it is not currently well understood how commonly they’re used within older adult populations, whether they impact driving mobility (i.e., how frequently and far someone drives), or whether GPS usage relates to either subjective or objective cognitive performance in older age. Here, we investigated how GPS usage related with driving mobility and cognitive performance within 895 older drivers. We found that older adults with a poorer sense of direction rely more on GPS navigation assistance. Importantly, those who use GPS tend to drive more frequently than those who do not, suggesting that these tools help mitigate against spatial orientation difficulties and help maintain driving mobility. As our study shows that using GPS navigation tools is associated with better driving mobility, supporting older adults in using GPS devices may help older drivers with a reduced sense of direction maintain their driving.