Florida Atlantic University researchers tracked 36 older drivers across 4,739 real-world trips and found that in-car sensor data, the same speed, throttle, and braking metrics that insurance telematics apps record, can separate cognitively healthy drivers from those in early decline. The study, published January 2 in the journal Sensors, distinguished the two groups with a trip-level accuracy score of 0.886 using no medical test at all.
In-car sensors that log speed, braking, and how steadily a driver works the gas pedal can flag early cognitive decline in older adults before clinical symptoms appear, according to a Florida Atlantic University study published in the journal Sensors. The same data points already flow to roughly 50 million U.S. drivers age 65 and older who run an insurer's telematics app every time they get behind the wheel.
- FAU analyzed 4,739 trips from 36 drivers age 65+ over three years, pairing sensor data with cognitive testing every 90 days
- Shorter trips, higher engine RPM, and jumpier throttle control flagged early impairment, while steadier pedal use marked healthy drivers
- The combined driving pattern, not any single habit, hit a trip-level discrimination score of 0.886 out of 1.0
- Insurers already collect these exact metrics through apps like Progressive Snapshot and State Farm Drive Safe and Save
- No U.S. carrier currently screens for cognitive decline, leaving an open privacy question for 50 million senior drivers
What the FAU Study Found
The research team slotted a small AutoPi sensor into each participant's onboard diagnostics port, a Raspberry Pi based unit paired with a GPS receiver and a three-axis accelerometer. Across three years, that device logged ten metrics on every trip: distance, average speed, maximum speed, engine RPM, fuel level, throttle position, throttle variability, and counts of hard braking, rapid acceleration, and sharp turns. Participants also sat for a full neuropsychological assessment every three months, which let researchers tie each driving record to a verified cognitive status.
Of the 36 drivers, 23 were cognitively unimpaired and 13 showed pre-mild cognitive impairment or mild cognitive impairment, the earliest measurable stages before dementia. Drivers in the impaired group ran higher engine RPM, took shorter and more fragmented trips, and varied their throttle pressure more than their healthy peers did. Unimpaired drivers braked harder when needed, cornered more decisively, held higher average speeds, and kept a steadier foot on the accelerator.
No single metric gave the impairment away. Senior author Ruth Tappen, Ed.D., a professor in FAU's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, said the full pattern across behaviors did the work.
"What makes these findings especially compelling is how clearly the combined driving patterns separated the two groups. Everyday driving habits, captured passively through in-car sensors, may offer a powerful new way to detect subtle cognitive changes long before they become obvious." - Ruth Tappen, Ed.D., Florida Atlantic University
Combining all ten behaviors, the model scored 0.886 on a 0-to-1 discrimination scale at the trip level, and a more conservative 0.72 when researchers collapsed each driver's trips into a single average. The National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging funded the work, which the authors label exploratory because the impaired group held just 13 people.
What It Means for Senior Drivers and Their Families
The metrics FAU used to flag cognitive change are nearly identical to what insurers already pull from telematics programs. Progressive Snapshot, State Farm Drive Safe and Save, GEICO DriveEasy, and the AARP-endorsed Hartford TrueLane all monitor speed, braking, acceleration, and trip length through a phone app or a plug-in device. Drivers who enroll and score well save real money, with several programs advertising 10% to 40% off, according to MoneyGeek.
That overlap cuts two ways for older drivers. Telematics already rewards the low-mileage, daytime, gentle-braking patterns common after retirement, so seniors who compare options on our telematics discount comparison often qualify for the steepest savings. The same data stream, the FAU study suggests, could one day surface a health signal the driver never agreed to share.
Cost is the more immediate worry for most families. A 65-year-old pays about $2,274 a year for full coverage and $597 for minimum liability, climbing to $2,620 and $719 by age 75, according to Insure.com. Retired drivers who log fewer miles can recover part of that gap, and our guide to low-mileage insurance for seniors shows how cutting your annual mileage can save $580 or more per year.
Senior Car Insurance Rates by Age
| Driver Age | Full Coverage ($/yr) | Change vs. Age 60 |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | $1,934 | Baseline |
| 70 | $2,089 | +8% |
| 80 | $2,545 | +32% |
Source: ValuePenguin age-based full-coverage averages, 2026. Figures assume a driver with a clean record and average credit carrying liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage. Actual premiums vary by state, vehicle, and annual mileage.
The Privacy Question Insurers Have Not Answered
FAU's drivers used a dedicated research device and consented to having their driving paired with brain testing. No insurance company currently analyzes telematics data for cognitive decline, and the study's authors stress the work is early-stage science rather than a product. With only 13 impaired participants, the results need replication in larger groups before anyone acts on them.
Still, the infrastructure already sits in millions of cars. More than 50 million Americans 65 and older hold a license, and roughly 5 million of them live in Florida, where drivers can compare city-level senior rates on our Florida car insurance page. If a carrier can already watch trips shorten and throttle control wobble, the line between a safe-driving discount and a health inference grows thin, a tension we unpack in our explainer on telematics data privacy and consumer trust.
No U.S. auto insurer uses telematics to flag cognitive decline, and doing so would raise consent and discrimination questions regulators have not addressed. Treat the FAU findings as an early warning tool for families and physicians, not as something your carrier is doing today.
The safety stakes are real, though not one-sided. Motor-vehicle deaths involving people 65 and older rose 1.5% to 9,727 in 2024, and drivers 75 and up are three to four times more likely than middle-aged drivers to die in a crash because of frailty, according to IIHS data. Yet IIHS also reports that crash rates for drivers in their 70s have dropped below those of middle-aged drivers over the past two decades, helped by safer vehicles and healthier aging.
What Older Drivers Should Do Now
Watch the Signals the Sensors Catch
Note whether an older driver is taking shorter trips, hesitating at turns, or braking late. Raise these patterns with a primary care doctor, who can order the kind of cognitive screening FAU paired with its sensor data.
Re-Shop the Policy Every Renewal
Premiums climb roughly 32% between ages 60 and 80, so compare at least three carriers before each renewal. Drivers over 70 can start with our roundup of the cheapest car insurance for seniors over 70.
Turn Low Mileage Into Discounts
Retirees who drive under 7,500 miles a year often qualify for low-mileage and usage-based discounts worth 10% to 40%. Gentle, daytime driving scores especially well on telematics programs.
Take a State-Approved Mature Driver Course
Completing an approved refresher course cuts premiums 5% to 15% in most states. AARP and AAA both run versions that seniors can finish online in a few hours.
Read the Data-Sharing Fine Print
Before enrolling in any telematics app, check what the carrier collects, how long it keeps the data, and whether it shares with third parties. Ask your agent to confirm those answers in writing.
Looking Ahead
FAU's team plans larger studies with more impaired drivers to confirm which telematics signatures reliably map to cognitive change. Watch for whether regulators and groups like the National Institute on Aging set rules before insurers gain routine access to health-revealing driving data. For now the practical takeaway stays simple: the same app that can shave 30% off a senior's premium is also, quietly, recording the early story of how that driver's brain is aging.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. No U.S. insurer currently analyzes telematics data for cognitive decline, and the FAU study used a dedicated research device rather than an insurer app. The findings come from just 36 drivers and are described by the authors as exploratory.
In the FAU study, drivers with early impairment took shorter, more fragmented trips, ran higher engine RPM, and varied their throttle pressure more. It was the overall combination of behaviors, not any single habit, that separated impaired from healthy drivers.
Most major programs only offer discounts of 10% to 40% and do not surcharge for poor scores. A few weigh hard braking and speeding when calculating your discount, so read each carrier's terms before enrolling.
A 65-year-old pays about $2,274 a year for full coverage and $597 for minimum liability, rising to roughly $2,620 and $719 by age 75, according to Insure.com. Low-mileage and mature-driver discounts can offset much of that increase.
Not automatically. Many people with mild cognitive impairment drive safely for years, but a physician and an occupational-therapy driving evaluation should guide the decision rather than age alone.
- Sensors (MDPI) - Sensor-Detected Differences in Behaviors of Older Drivers with Pre-MCI and Mild Cognitive Impairment vs. Unimpaired Drivers
- Insurance Journal - Driving Data and Vehicle Sensors Help Detect Early Cognitive Decline
- Florida Atlantic University Newsdesk - Driving Data and Vehicle Sensors Help Detect Early Cognitive Decline
- IIHS - Older Drivers Research Area
- National Safety Council - Older Drivers Injury Facts
- Insure.com - How Much Does Car Insurance Cost for Seniors
- ValuePenguin - How Age Affects Auto Insurance Costs
- MoneyGeek - Car Insurance Discounts for Senior Citizens