Mission Statement
The mission of the CMU Center for Driving Evaluation, Education, and Research is to provide clinical services to evaluate cognitive fitness to drive, to provide education to improve older driver safety, and to conduct research on older drivers and drivers with attention disorders.
The CMU Center for Driving Evaluation, Education, and Research (DEER Center) was established in 2007 with a grant from the CMU Vision 2010 strategic plan. The long-term goal of the DEER Center is to increase driving safety in Michigan by reducing the number of crashes involving older drivers and drivers with attention disorders.
The DEER Center is a collaboration between the College of Humanities, Social, and Behavioral Sciences and the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions and is a component of the Bridges Center for Healthy Life Transitions in within the Carls Center for Clinical Care and Education.
Evaluation
The DEER Center conducts evaluations of cognitive fitness to drive for older adults, persons who have suffered a brain injury or stoke and want to know if they can safely resume driving, and persons who have neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases, multiple sclerosis, etc.). The DEER Center accepts referrals from health care providers (physicians, therapists, optometrists and ophthalmologists, etc) and family members. The referral form can be found on the Evaluations page.
Education
The DEER Center provides education to improve the safety of mature drivers in several ways. One component of our education mission is to offer programs developed by AARP for the mature driver such as the Driver Safety Program and the We Need to Talk program. Another component is to conduct research to assess the effectiveness of computer-based training to improve older driver safety. A related component is to provide graduate students in psychology, gerontology, and physical therapy with experience working with seniors and with clinical patients. More information about the DEER Center education mission can be found on the Education page.
Research
Finally, the DEER Center conducts research on attention and driving in older adults and in persons with attention disorders. More information about the DEER Center education mission can be found on the Research page.
