DriveABLE Cognitive Assessment Tool

Off-road screening utilizes the DriveABLE Cognitive Assessment Tool (DCAT). The DCAT is a computer based evaluation of the cognitive functions necessary for safe driving.  The use of a simple, computerised presentation allows for a high degree of accuracy and objectivity in performance measures.

The test battery measures mental facets such as motor speed and control, span of attentional field, spatial judgement, decision making, attentional shift, executive function and the identification of hazardous situations.  An individual’s performance on each of the DCAT tasks is compared to normative data for their age group.

The test battery has been found to be highly predictive of actual on-road driving performance, with 95% accuracy in identifying the most dangerous and the most competent drivers. Consequently, in many cases a recommendation about continued driving can be made based on the in-office assessment results without the need for further testing.   The DCAT uses a three tiered assessment outcome as recommended in the driving literature: pass, fail and indeterminate. Only those drivers who fall into the indeterminate category require progression to on-road assessment. This has important safety benefits by identifying the most impaired drivers without the need for testing on public road ways. The predictive accuracy also allows for significant cost savings by reducing the number of drivers requiring on-road assessment.