New research suggests that the way older adults drive may offer important clues about their brain health.
Changes in driving habits—such as driving less often, avoiding new routes, or making more driving mistakes—might signal early brain damage and even the beginning of dementia.
This new study was presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2026. The lead researcher, Dr. Chia-Ling Phuah from the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, explained that everyday driving patterns can reflect how healthy or damaged the brain is, especially in areas called white matter.
White matter helps different parts of the brain communicate. Damage in this area has been linked to memory problems and dementia.
In the United States, more than 6.9 million people aged 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2024. That’s nearly one out of every nine older adults. Finding ways to detect brain problems early could help doctors offer treatments before too much damage occurs.
In this study, researchers tracked the driving habits of 220 adults over the age of 65 who were living independently in St. Louis, Missouri. At the beginning of the study, all participants were tested and found to be free of dementia.
For more than five years, small sensors were placed in their cars to monitor their driving behavior. The sensors recorded information such as how often they braked hard, turned sharply, or had small collisions. Participants also had brain scans in the first year to look for signs of white matter damage.
The results were revealing. People who had more white matter damage drove less frequently. They were also less likely to change their routes or habits. Over time, about 17% of the participants developed cognitive impairment. Most of these individuals were later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Among those who developed cognitive problems, people with more white matter damage were more likely to drive unsafely. They were more likely to brake suddenly, take sharp turns, and get into accidents. People with white matter damage in the back part of the brain—which helps with vision and movement—were especially at risk for unsafe driving.
The study also found something surprising: people who took blood pressure medications, especially ACE inhibitors, were less likely to show risky driving behavior. This was true even if their brain scans showed a lot of white matter damage. This suggests that these medications might help protect brain function, not just lower blood pressure.
Dr. Phuah said this discovery is exciting because it suggests that doctors could use simple car sensors to track changes in driving behavior. If someone starts driving less or more cautiously, or has more driving errors, it could be an early warning sign of brain changes.
Dr. Nada El Husseini, a neurologist at Duke University who was not part of the study, said the findings raise new questions. She believes that we may need to think about using cognitive tests and brain scans when older adults begin to have trouble driving. She also noted that the possible benefits of ACE inhibitors for brain health deserve more research.
It’s important to note that the study had some limits. It only included a small group of mostly white, educated adults, so the results may not apply to everyone. Also, the information about medications was self-reported, which could introduce mistakes.
Still, this study offers new ideas about how to monitor brain health in older adults. Driving is something many people do every day, and it turns out that even small changes in driving behavior might reveal hidden brain problems.
Larger, more diverse studies are needed to confirm these results, but this research could lead to better ways to detect dementia early and keep older adults safe on the road.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about the power of healthy fats for brain health, and wild blueberries can benefit your heart and brain..
For more health information, please see recent studies about how eating nuts can affect your cognitive ability,and brain foods nourish your mind to outsmart dementia.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
