As people age, mental acuity and vision decline, and so does the ability to maneuver a car properly. But being in good physical shape could lead to better skills. Researchers put 90 men and women age 70 or older through weekly workouts that related to some aspect of driving, such as moving from the brake to the gas pedal or swiveling around to check a blind spot. A control group did not exercise. Both groups took part in a home-based education program on home safety, fall prevention and vehicle care, reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Both groups also took standard driving tests at the beginning and the end of the study. The group that exercised scored higher overall than the control group and committed 37 percent fewer critical errors.
The Washington Post
