Call For New Driver Test To Help Improve Road Safety In Canada

A University of Toronto Psychology Professor believes a test to measure a driver's cognitive ability would go a long way in making Canada's roads safer. As Canadian clinicians become more aware of disorders that impact cognitive ability, such as post concussion syndrome and Alzheimer's disease, Dr. Konstantine Zakzanis believes it's becoming increasingly important to measure a driver's cognitive ability.

"A practical and accessible screening test to identify those drivers who may be a risk to themselves and others would help to improve road safety for all drivers," said Zakzanis. "It could be used at a time of driver's license renewal, or made available anytime at a driver's request."

Zakzanis has developed a fifteen-minute online screening test called BrainScreen. It is patent pending, available in twenty languages, and is the first test of its kind in North America.

"A whole range of factors affect a driver's cognitive skills, from medications and concussions to Alzheimer's disease," said Brian Patterson, President of the Ontario Safety League. "A standard recognized test to measure a driver's cognitive ability will take road safety to the next logical level."

Developed by Professor Zakzanis through the University of Toronto and the Hemisphere Center for Mental Health & Wellness, the test is an effective screening tool developed to identify cognitive disorders that result from Alzheimer's disease and other Dementia syndromes, as well as psychiatric and medical conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder and Post-Concussive Syndrome.

In 2025, one-in-four Canadians will be 65 and older, making a screening test for cognitive acuity a relevant and practical tool for improving road safety.

Half a million Canadians have Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. In other words, 71,000 Canadians under the age of 65, and one-in-eleven Canadians over the age of sixty-five have Alzheimer's disease. By 2040, that number is expected to more than double, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

"All too often delayed diagnosis prevents people from getting early treatment," said Scott Knight, Executive Director of the Hemisphere Center for Mental Health and Wellness. "Since BrainScreen is an online test, giving the user immediate results, it serves as an early warning system for anyone to get treatment sooner - treatment that could make all the difference."

The test is adaptable for a range of applications from driver's license renewals and insurance underwriting and claims to improving safety in the trucking and cab industries. Its creators claim it will provide instant results to the user or any administrator. Similar to baseline testing in sports endeavors, the test is promoted as being able to measure against past performance.

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