Content area
Full text
OBJECTIVE. The number of functionally impaired drivers being assessed is increasing the urgency to develop a standardized off-road driver assessment battery. We examined the validity of the Road Law and Road Craft Test (RLRCT) and a version of the Melbourne Slide Test to determine whether they should be included in the Occupational Therapy Driver Off-Road Assessment (OT-DORA) battery, which is under development.
METHOD. We conducted a file audit of 118 data sets with individual item scores for the RLRCT and Melbourne Slide Test.
RESULTS. The RLRCT test with one item removed provides clinicians with a valid indication of clients' offroad driving skills. The Melbourne Slide Test added no new information over that provided by the RLRCT and can be excluded from the battery.
CONCLUSION. The revised 14-item RLRCT should be included in the OT-DORA battery. Further research is required to develop the OT-DORA battery as a valid and reliable measure of off-road driver skill.
KEY WORDS
* aged
* Australia
* automobile driving
* geriatric assessment
* reproducibility of results
In most developed nations, it is well documented that our populations are aging (Hakamies Blomqvist, 1996; Michalik, 1990; Stanfield, 1996). Accordingly, the number of older drivers (defined as age 65 and older for the purposes of this article) is expected to rise dramatically over the next 2 decades (Fildes et al., 2000; Stav, 2004). Older drivers experience many age-related declines in their health status, increasing numbers of medical conditions, and an increasing need for medications, all of which can impair driving ability (Unsworth, Wells, Browning, Thomas, & Kendig, 2007). However, driving and transportation use have been identified by older adults as their most important instrumental activities of daily living (Fricke & Unsworth, 2001). Moreover, many younger clients with disabilities (such as cerebral palsy or autism spectrum disorder), who may in the past have relied on public transportation, are seeking greater independence through driving (Redepenning, 2006). The ability to drive promotes a sense of autonomy and self-worth and enables people with functional impairments to access health and retail services as well as maintain social contacts (McGregor, 2002; Yassuda, Wilson, & von Mering, 1997). Hence, there is a growing need for occupational therapists who have been specially trained as driver assessors to assist older and functionally...