Optimizing Driving Safety: Neurocognitive Insights, Health-Promoting Strategies, and Policy Innovation

Dear Colleagues,

Overview

Driving is a complex activity that requires the integration of cognitive, sensory, and motor functions. The ability to drive safely depends on an individual’s attention, decision-making skills, reaction time, and overall brain health. Furthermore, driving safety is influenced by various factors that change across an individual’s lifespan, ranging from adolescent risk-taking behaviors to cognitive decline with age. Neurological and psychiatric conditions, along with structural and functional brain changes, further impact driving ability. Addressing these challenges requires a multidisciplinary approach that integrates neurocognitive research, health-promoting strategies, and evidence-based policy solutions.

This Special Issue aims to explore innovative strategies for enhancing driving safety across individuals of different age groups and with different medical conditions. We invite submissions of original research articles, reviews, and policy analyses focusing on the cognitive and anatomical correlates of driving; the impact of developmental, neurological, and psychiatric disorders; and interventions that promote safe driving. Contributions should bridge neurocognitive science, public health, and policy innovation to provide actionable insights into driving safety.

Topics of Interest

We welcome submissions that focus on, but are not limited to, the following themes:

1. Driving Across the Lifespan

• Neurocognitive and behavioral factors influencing teen driving safety.
• Risk perception, impulsivity, and executive function in adolescent drivers.
• Cognitive and sensory–motor challenges in middle-aged and older drivers.
• Strategies for healthy aging and sustained driving ability.

2. Neurological and Psychiatric Conditions that Affect Driving

• Driving risks and adaptive strategies for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.
• Cognitive impairment, reaction time, and accident risks in psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, ADHD).
• The effects of medications on driving performance in individuals with neurological and psychiatric issues.
• Neurorehabilitation and training programs to restore or compensate for driving deficits.

3. Neurocognitive and Neuroimaging Correlates of Driving

• Functional and structural brain imaging studies of driving behavior.
• The roles of attention, working memory, executive function, and motor control in driving.
• Neural markers that predict safe vs. unsafe driving.
• Simulator studies assessing brain function and cognitive load during driving.

4. Impact of Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue on Driving Performance

• The neurobiological and cognitive effects of sleep deprivation on decision-making and reaction time.
• Chronic fatigue and sleep disorders (e.g., sleep apnea, narcolepsy) as risk factors for road accidents.
• Interventions and technologies for detecting and preventing driver fatigue.

5. Virtual Reality and AI in Driving Assessment and Training

• The use of VR-based simulators to assess cognitive and motor functions in drivers.
• AI-driven adaptive training programs for individuals with cognitive or physical impairments.
• The integration of neuroimaging and machine learning to predict driving performance and risks.

Submission Guidelines

We invite researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and public health experts to contribute original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and policy discussions. Submissions should provide novel insights into the optimization of driving safety through a combination of neurocognitive research, health interventions, and policy strategies.

Dr. Foteini Christidi
Dr. Penelope Vlotinou
Dr. Anna Tsiakiri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.