Occupational therapists need objective tools to evaluate and provide interventions that promote the recovery and rehabilitation of clients. Driving, a common goal for clients after an injury or illness, is a complex task that relies on visual, cognitive, and motor skills. The Functional Object Detection and Functional Object Detection (FOD)—Advanced driving simulator scenarios were developed to provide objective and repeatable driving experiences allowing clinicians to assess their clients’ forward (focal) and peripheral vision, lane keeping, and speed maintenance, as well as provide interventions. Using FOD—Advanced, clinicians can adjust variables to create various task scenarios or combinations to meet the client’s needs and facilitate recovery by providing an appropriate challenge. This study examined four driving simulator scenario combinations and age-related differences for one combination. Study 1 explored older adults’ performance using four possible combinations of FOD—Advanced. Five out of eleven variables (average target reaction time, percentage of targets detected, average brake reaction time, number of target extra presses, and average speed) were effective in distinguishing among the four combinations of FOD with a cross-validated classification rate of 72%. In Study 2, one combination was selected from Study 1 and a group of teens completed the same tasks to evaluate age-related differences. Four out of thirteen simulator variables (standard deviation of brake reaction time, number of target extra presses, average target reaction time, and standard deviation of target reaction time) maximally distinguished the older adults from the younger participants with a cross-validated classification accuracy of 78%. Implications and recommendations for clinical practice and future research are provided.

Clinicians who do not specialize in driving have a need for simple assessment tools for both the aging population and new drivers. While many researchers focus on complex driving scenarios presented on simulators or on-road driving, this exploratory study examines the use of interactive exercises presented using a driving simulator to determine if there are differences in the speed at which senior and novice teen drivers respond to the steering wheel and pedal stimuli. This gap is addressed by evaluating performance differences between 34 senior drivers (over 60) and 17 novice teen drivers (ages 16–17) using interactive exercises with a driving simulator: Reaction Timer Steering©, Reaction Timer Stoplight©, and Stoplight and Steering©. Overall, teens had faster reaction times and fewer errors than seniors, yet seniors demonstrated greater improvement over time. Reaction times decreased for both age groups using the Reaction Timer Stoplight exercise. For the Stoplight and Steering exercise, significant differences between the groups were identified for both the number of errors as well as their reaction times. The findings from this exploratory study suggest the potential value of using driving simulators for assessment and potentially training the motor movements associated with driving across different age groups. By providing safe and controlled environments, simulators offer value to clinicians and educators for evaluations, interventions, and skill screenings to potentially improve safety for at-risk driver populations.