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The On‐Road Difficulties of Older Drivers and Their Relationship with Self‐Reported Motor Vehicle Crashes
Author(s) -
Wood Joanne M.,
Anstey Kaarin J.,
Lacherez Philippe F.,
Kerr Graham K.,
Mallon Kerry,
Lord Stephen R.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02498.x
Subject(s) - medicine , prospective cohort study , retrospective cohort study , poison control , injury prevention , crash , psychological intervention , human factors and ergonomics , brake , occupational safety and health , suicide prevention , medical emergency , physical medicine and rehabilitation , computer science , psychiatry , surgery , automotive engineering , engineering , programming language , pathology
OBJECTIVES: To quantify the driving difficulties of older adults using a detailed assessment of driving performance and to link this with self‐reported retrospective and prospective crashes. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: On‐road driving assessment. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred sixty‐seven community‐living adults aged 70 to 88 randomly recruited through the electoral roll. MEASUREMENTS: Performance on a standardized measure of driving performance. RESULTS: Lane positioning, approach, and blind spot monitoring were the most common error types, and errors occurred most frequently in situations involving merging and maneuvering. Drivers reporting more retrospective or prospective crashes made significantly more driving errors. Driver instructor interventions during self‐navigation (where the instructor had to brake or take control of the steering to avoid an accident) were significantly associated with higher retrospective and prospective crashes; every instructor intervention almost doubled prospective crash risk. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that on‐road driving assessment provides useful information on older driver difficulties, with the self‐directed component providing the most valuable information.