OK, if it looks like a game and acts like a game and is fun to play (like a game), it’s probably a game, right? Well, maybe. But it might also be a full-scale gym workout for your brain.

Researchers are finding that a computer variation on the old where’s-the-peanut shell game can help turn senior drivers into safer drivers.

If you’re an older driver like me, you know that auto manufacturers have added scores of safety features to cars since we got our first driver’s licenses back in the day. But the most important piece of vehicle safety equipment is our brain. Keeping our brain sharp is our best defense against age-related declines in driving ability. And it may even help cut the cost of car insurance for seniors.

Neuroscientists are discovering that the brain can literally rewire itself at any age if given the right kind of stimuli. Some age-related declines in brain function can be stopped or even reversed. That’s good news for older drivers and the companies that provide car insurance for seniors.

Video Games Can Help Senior Drivers

Let’s try one. Pull up a chair to the computer and let’s play “Jewel Diver.” A red gem appears on your screen. Then a spiny fish covers it up, swims around among lots of other spiny fish, then stops. Can you remember which fish has the gem hidden behind it? How about when there are five hidden gems, all going in different directions, among more fish and they start swimming faster?

Here’s another game. You’re driving west from California on Route 66, the famous “Mother Road,” just like my family did on a trip to the Grand Canyon when I was 10 (back in 19...um...um). Watch for signs and other cars, match them up in threes and you’re allowed to head on down the road.

These and other fun video games are part of a program called InSight designed by Posit Science. The program improves cognitive skills like mental quickness and memory. Clinical studies have shown that senior drivers who complete the program have noticeably improved reaction times, peripheral vision, and the ability to pinpoint objects in the area around them. And results can last up to three years.

The first game we played—those pesky little fish—teaches senior drivers to “divided attention,” like when there are cars on either side of you, a pedestrian at the corner and a red light coming up. You learn to be more aware of all of them at the same time. The Road Trip improves your “useful field of view,” what you see and process not only in front of you but also in your peripheral view. Studies have shown that the better your useful field of view, the fewer car accidents you’re likely to have.

Like a gym for your brain, these and other games in the InSight program provide a vigorous mental workout, and you don’t even have to break a sweat.

Allstate Insurance wants to know how well InSight works in improving senior drivers abilities. They’re conducting a test of 100,000 older drivers with the program. The results might lead to more affordable auto insurance for seniors. Already, testing of the program has shown reductions in dangerous driving maneuvers by up to 40% and can reduce the risk of a crash by up to 50%.

Some university extension programs, including the University of South Florida and UCLA, have been offering the program to senior drivers. It is also offered in some senior centers, and it’s available for purchase online from Posit Science at www.positscience.com .

It’s like having a fountain of youth for aging brains—and a green light to keep seniors drivers driving longer and safer.