Assessing Fitness to Drive among Older Adults using Random Forest

To meet the requirements of assessing fitness-to-drive among older adults, recently several studies have validated the use of driving simulator. This study adheres to the opinion of developing a method to assess fitness to drive based on various assessments and driving simulator rides using Random Forest. The goals are: a) to evaluate older drivers’ fïtness-to-drive based on different assessments, b) to determine which type of assessment, or combination of assessment provides the best prediction of the fïtness-to-drive, c) to determine the validity of driving simulator performance in predicting fitness to drive. The criterion of fitness to drive is determined in an on-road driving assessment by specialized evaluator from Center for Determination of Fitness to Drive and Car Adaptations (CARA). The best model acquires an accuracy of 82.2% on average, making the approach of combining all predictors from different assessments acceptable and valuable for assessing fitness-to-drive among older drivers.