Symptom and Environmental Effects in Neurodegenerative Disease on Real-world Driving- SENSOR

This project explored how driving behaviour is influenced by changes in the brain associated with healthy ageing and neurodegenerative disease. It also examined the role of external factors, such as the local environment and navigational demands, in shaping how individuals drive.

Background

The proportion of older drivers on the road is projected to increase significantly in future years. Driving is of great importance in maintaining independence in older age, but it is also well established that older adults are at an increased risk of driving collisions, and that these incidents are significantly more likely to be fatal than those involving younger drivers. Understanding how driving behaviours and associated performance change in later life is therefore of key interest to public health. This is particularly important when people develop dementia, as it is often unclear when individuals with dementia should stop driving.

The SENSOR project investigated how factors related to dementia affect driving behaviour and how this knowledge might inform driving guidelines for ageing and dementia.

Project Aims

Primary objectives:

  • Understood how cognitive changes influence driving behaviour in ageing and prodromal dementia.

Secondary objectives:

  • Explored which environmental characteristics may lead to specific at-risk driving events in individuals with cognitive decline, such as disorientation and road incidents.
  • Used project data to inform evidence-led approaches for improved health policy, legislation, and community planning for driving safety in prodromal and clinical dementia.
  • Determined whether changes in driving behaviour may serve as an early cognitive marker for decline prior to clinical diagnosis.
  • Used the data generated by the project to examine how relevant dementia biomarkers (MRI, blood, genotype) relate to cognitive changes impacting driving behaviour.

Outputs

This project provided insights into how functional, cognitive, sensory, and biomarker information in dementia relate to real-world changes in driving behaviour. The findings informed the development of future driving guidelines for people with dementia.

Next steps

This research will generate practical, evidence‑based outputs that translate new insights on how cognitive symptoms and environmental factors influence real‑world behaviour into meaningful benefits for individuals, families, services and policy:

  • For people living with dementia: guidance and early indicators to support safe driving 
  • For carers and families: resources to recognise risks, adapt environments, and support driving decisions
  • For policymakers: real‑world data to inform guidelines, regulation and public safety strategies.

Who was involved?

  • Prof Michael Hornberger (corresponding researcher);
  • Mr Sol Morrissey;
  • Dr. Mizanur Khondoker;
  • Prof. Ed Manley;
  • Dr. Mary Fisher-Morris;
  • Dr. Ian Coyle-Gilchrist;
  • Miss Rachel Gillings

Contact

To find out more about this project and be put in touch with the corresponding researcher, please email arcoffice@cpft.nhs.uk

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