New research project highlights the potential of telematics to help support older drivers
A new research project, Fit2Drive, has confirmed the potential of telematics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide a fairer, more objective way to support the driving fitness of older adults, specifically those aged 60+ and those with conditions like Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
The project, which directly informed the recent UK Government consultation on older driver legislation, concludes with twelve recommendations to improve how society manages safe, independent driving for an ageing population.
This project was led by telematics specialist The Floow in collaboration with the School of Computer Science and the School of Medicine and Population Health at the University of Sheffield and the NIHR Devices for Dignity MedTech Co-operative (D4D). This project was funded by The Road Safety Trust.
The project covered a pivotal moment, following the UK Government recent announcement of a new road safety strategy that might include compulsory eye tests for over 70s. Although policy influence wasn’t a direct aim of the Fit2Drive project, partners contributed to this consultation process, ensuring that evidence from real-world driving behaviour and stakeholder inputs helped in the national debate.
The challenge: driving safely as we age
The UK’s ageing population means more people are driving beyond the age of 60 than ever before. While many continue to drive safely, concerns exist around how best to assess “fitness to drive” in ways that are both fair and effective.
With the number of UK drivers aged over 60 steadily rising, the challenge of assessing "fitness to drive" is growing. Traditional methods—such as one-off clinical reviews or driving tests—are costly, infrequent, and only capture a limited snapshot of a driver's ability. This approach is struggling to cope with the demand.
Traditional assessments, such as clinical driving reviews or in-person tests, are infrequent, costly, time-consuming, and only capture a brief snapshot of an individual’s potential driving ability. With the number of older drivers growing, assessment approaches face significant resourcing and coverage pressures.
The Fit2Drive project
Fit2Drive set out to explore whether telematics technology already widely used in motor insurance could be utilised to help measure driving behaviour of older adults over time. The project sought to understand how cognitive changes may impact or be seen in driving behaviour. Using telematics devices, driving behaviour was monitored longitudinally using many hundreds of measured behavioural features. These findings were analysed using advanced machine learning to help understand driving behaviours of older drivers and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). As well as exploring the possible value of measured data the project also co-designed interactive feedback capabilities with clinicians and older drivers. This explored how measured information could be shared back to drivers and clinicians to help support informed discussions or future decision making about driving fitness.
The study demonstrated that telematics data could be a valuable, ongoing support system, providing objective evidence to help older drivers and their doctors make informed decisions about continued driving.
Twelve recommendations for safer, fairer assessment
The project generated twelve recommendations, six of which relate directly to telematics and feedback technologies, with a further six extracted from wider stakeholder and clinical feedback during the project work.
Core recommendations from the study
Machine learning for triage: Driving data and algorithms could be a support for future triage for driver assessment or clinical review. However, these should not be used as a standalone decision-making tool but can be used to triage and simplify processes. Wider trials are needed to confirm larger scale value and public acceptance.
Opt-in monitoring: Any use of monitoring technology must remain voluntary, with participants giving informed consent. Patients were also concerned about the potential of data sharing with insurers or the police. Mandating such tools was rejected by participants and stakeholders alike who each wanted to be in control of the application of new technologies.
Value of feedback: Driving feedback using telematics insights was highly valued, helping individuals reflect on safety and make better decisions about continued driving. The role of personalised digital feedback should be further explored.
Simple presentation of feedback: Older drivers preferred straightforward measures showing clear values, rather than complex, multi-dimensional or specific event-based feedback.
Comparative benchmarks: Feedback was expressed to be more meaningful and acceptable when comparing individuals to the overall driving population. Participants strongly rejected comparisons to narrower groups (e.g., “older drivers”).
Maintain legal accountability framework: Stakeholders expressed that legal responsibility for fitness-to-drive decisions should remain as currently structured.
Additional recommendations from stakeholders
The project also generated six additional recommendations based on clinical and stakeholder feedback, including calls to: strengthen licence renewal processes to prevent false self-certification, explore mandatory eyesight testing at renewal (reflecting standards for professional drivers), and review and update medicine labelling to better highlight driving risks.
While not the primary focus of the study, stakeholder discussions provided six further recommendations for consideration by policymakers and practitioners:
Strengthen licence renewal processes to reduce false self-certification of medical fitness.
Review referral pathways and explore automated notifications to ease pressure on clinicians and improve reporting of cognitive impairment.
Consult on mandatory eyesight testing at licence renewal, reflecting requirements already in place for professional drivers – please note this recommendation has already fed into UK consultations which have recently had announced changes in this area.
Explore restrictive licensing options for drivers adapting their habits due to medical conditions.
Review and update UK medicine labelling to better highlight driving risks, building on international best practice.
Develop integrated supportive systems that combine telematics, clinical feedback, and patient engagement to enable independence while reducing risks.
Dr Sam Chapman, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, The Floow, said: “The Fit2Drive project demonstrates how telematics technology could help play a differing role in supporting older drivers, clinicians and family members. Fit2Drive shows the value of feedback at the personal level, enabling safer older drivers to remain mobile and connected to their communities for longer.”
Dr Vitaveska Lanfranchi, Professor in Digital Health and Pervasive Computing, School of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, said: “We've demonstrated that machine learning applied to telematics data can successfully identify subtle driving patterns linked to cognitive change. This research paves the way for future triage tools that are more reflective of everyday driving behaviour, ensuring assessment is data-driven, yet remains highly personalised.”
Dr Daniel Blackburn, Consultant Neurologist and senior lecturer, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, said: “The advance in diagnostic testing, such as fluid based biomarkers, means we will have more people diagnosed with prodromal neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. We do not know on an individual basis what their prognosis is or when it might affect their functioning.
“Currently there are very little recommendation for patients or clinicians for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI- a syndromic label for people with cognitive impairment, without functional impairment). This study shows that patients with MCI want to understand how their driving compares to age-matched peers, to judge their own driving safety. Plus, clinicians would value a scalable objective measure of safe driving.”
Ruth Purdie OBE, Chief Executive of The Road Safety Trust, said: “I’m pleased that we were able to fund this important project as Fit2Drive has provided valuable insights into how technology can help society meet the challenge of an ageing driving population.
“If policy or legislative changes concerning mature drivers are introduced in the future, it’s important that these are grounded in innovation and research, helping to make the roads safer for everyone.”
Context: UK policy and future opportunities
The project’s completion follows recent UK legislative changes relating to older drivers. By providing evidence to the consultation process, Fit2Drive has demonstrated how new approaches can be embedded into policy, ensuring that assessment systems evolve with demographic trends and technological opportunities.
The researchers recommend further large-scale trials to confirm the reliability and applicability of telematics-based assessments in opt-in trials across the wider driving population.
Further information, including a final report, can be found on the dedicated project page.