The Impact of Age on Subjective and Objective Sleepiness During Drowsy Driving

Dr Anna Cai’s thesis is titled “The Impact of Age on Subjective and Objective Sleepiness During Drowsy Driving”. Findings of this project included observable age differences in driving performance after sleep deprivation, where younger adults are more impaired than older adults, and that both younger and older adults can accurately tell when they are sleepy. In addition, subjective sleepiness symptoms predict future driving impairment and falling asleep events in both younger and older adults. Lastly, subjective sleepiness symptoms also reflect on prior severe driving impairment, which informs post-crash investigations.