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Drivers with Parkinson’s disease: are the symptoms of PD associated with restricted driving practices?

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Abstract

This study examined whether symptoms (motor, cognitive, vision, sleepiness, depression) of Parkinson’s disease (PD) were associated with restricted driving practices. To quantify driving practices, electronic devices were installed in the vehicles of 27 drivers with PD (78 % men; M = 71.6, SD = 6.6; Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor score M = 30.1, SD = 8.6; disease duration M = 3.9, SD = 2.8 years) and 20 controls (80 % men; M = 70.6, SD = 7.9) for 2 weeks. Participants completed measures of sleepiness, depression, quality of life, and assessments of motor, cognitive and visual functions. The PD group had significantly slower brake response times (p < 0.05), poorer cognitive and quality of life scores (p < 0.01) and greater depression (p < 0.05) compared to controls. Slower reaction time was significantly related to reduced driving; specifically, fewer trips (r = −0.46; p < 0.05), distance (r = −0.54, p < 0.01) and duration at night (r = −0.58, p < 0.01). Better cognitive scores were associated with driving less often in difficult situations such as bad weather and rush hour (p < 0.05), as well as reduced speed on city streets, but only for the control group. While most drivers with PD rated their overall health as good or excellent, the five PD drivers who rated their health more poorly had significantly worse clinical symptoms (UPDRS motor scores, contrast sensitivity, depression, brake response time) and more restricted driving patterns. These findings show that drivers with PD who perceive their health poorly have greater symptomatology and were more likely to restrict their driving, possibly due to noticeable declines in multiple driving-related abilities.

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Acknowledgments

Both Drs Alexander Crizzle and Anita Myers are members of the Canadian Driving Research Initiative for Vehicular Safety in the Elderly (Candrive), an interdisciplinary health related research program dedicated to improving the safety of older drivers. We would like to acknowledge the support of Candrive, the Schlegel University of Waterloo Research Institute of Aging, and the Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Conflicts of interest

This study was supported by Canadian Driving Research Initiative for Vehicular Safety in the Elderly (Candrive), Schlegel U-W Research Institute of Aging and the Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research & Rehabilitation Centre. No other support was provided. No authors report conflicts of interest pertaining to this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health and Health Systems, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Alexander M. Crizzle & Anita M. Myers

  2. Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Eric A. Roy

  3. Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Quincy J. Almeida

Authors
  1. Alexander M. Crizzle
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  2. Anita M. Myers
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  3. Eric A. Roy
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  4. Quincy J. Almeida
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Correspondence to Alexander M. Crizzle.

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Crizzle, A.M., Myers, A.M., Roy, E.A. et al. Drivers with Parkinson’s disease: are the symptoms of PD associated with restricted driving practices?. J Neurol 260, 2562–2568 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-013-7017-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-013-7017-9

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