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This study presents a long-term examination of the effects of two types of perceptual-cognitive brain training programs on senior driver behavior and on-road driving performance. Seniors (70+) engaged in either a Toyota-designed in-vehicle training program based on implicit learning principles or a commercially available computer-based training program developed by Posit Science. Another group served as a no-contact control group; total enrollment was 55 participants. Participants completed a series of four experimental sessions: (1) baseline pre-training, (2) immediate post-training, (3) 6-9 months post-training, and (4) 12-16 months post-training. Experimental metrics taken at each session included measures of vehicle control and driver glance behavior on public roads.

This study presents an on-road evaluation of driver performance when controlling in-car technology via a handheld or voice-controlled interface. Participants drove with an experimenter on public roads while making mobile phone calls, having brief phone conversations, and playing tracks from a portable music player using both types of interface. The test vehicle was an instrumented 2010 Mercury Mariner equipped with the Ford SYNC® system, which allows for voice control of mobile phones and portable music devices. Twenty-one participants were tested, including 12 younger (19-34) and 9 older (39-51). All participants were owners of a vehicle equipped with the voice-control system, and all used the system regularly for phone calls and music playback.