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Turns and downturns in aging drivers
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Turns and downturns in aging drivers

Marie Hardt, Guillermo Basulto-Elias, Heike Hofmann, Shauna Hallmark, Anuj Sharma, Jeffrey D. Dawson, Matthew Rizzo and Jun Ha Chang
Transportation research interdisciplinary perspectives, Vol.39, 102214
09/2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.trip.2026.102214
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2026.102214View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

•Turning left across traffic is a challenging maneuver for older drivers.•Increased cognitive decline is associated with a decrease in older drivers’ odds of turning left.•In-vehicle monitoring of older drivers’ turning habits could flag potential cognitive decline. As cognitive decline progresses, older adults may self-regulate their driving. Avoidance of left turns across traffic is observable in naturalistic driving data but rarely self-reported. We studied 106 older adults using baseline and one-year follow-up neuropsychological assessments. In-vehicle sensors passively recorded driving behavior over 12 weeks. We identified 216,531 turns from vehicle heading changes. We used mixed-effects logistic regression to model the odds of turning left, with cognitive status category change from baseline to one-year follow-up as the predictor. Greater cognitive impairment, represented by movement to a more severe cognitive status category at one-year follow-up, was associated with reduced odds of turning left (odds ratio = 0.98, 95 % confidence interval = (0.964, 0.996); P value = 0.011). Left-turn avoidance may be a behavioral marker of early cognitive decline. Passive driving data could help detect functional changes earlier, enabling intervention to preserve mobility and independence.
 Alzheimer’sdisease Cognitive decline Digital behavioural markers Left-turning behavior Mild cognitive impairment Naturalistic driving study Older drivers

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