Are older drivers’ driving patterns during an on-road driving task representative of their real-world driving patterns?

Abstract

Objective: The current study investigated whether older drivers’ driving patterns during a customized on-road driving task were representative of their real-world driving patterns.

Methods: Two hundred and eight participants (male: 68.80%; mean age?=?81.52 years, SD?=?3.37 years, range?=?76.00–96.00 years) completed a customized on-road driving task that commenced from their home and was conducted in their own vehicle. Participants’ real-world driving patterns for the preceding 4-month period were also collected via an in-car recording device (ICRD) that was installed in each participant’s vehicle.

Results: During the 4-month period prior to completing the on-road driving task, participants’ median real-world driving trip distance was 2.66?km (interquartile range [IQR]?=?1.14–5.79?km) and their median on-road driving task trip distance was 4.41?km (IQR?=?2.83–6.35?km). Most participants’ on-road driving task trip distances were classified as representative of their real-world driving trip distances (95.2%, n?=?198).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that most older drivers were able to devise a driving route that was representative of their real-world driving trip distance. Future research will examine whether additional aspects of the on-road driving task (e.g., average speed, proportion of trips in different speed zones) are representative of participants’ real-world driving patterns.     

机车双司机驾驶行为可靠性研究

在人机系统可靠性理论与机车驾驶行为链的基础上,结合双司机作业特点,构建了基于感知、判断、操作元件及模块组的单司机及双司机驾驶行为模型.基于该模型,在确定单项器官元件可靠度测试与计算方法后,运用可靠性理论给出了功能模块可靠度、单司机驾驶行为可靠度、双司机驾驶行为可靠度模型,并对信息感知差系数、正副司机主次差系数等参数进行了分析和讨论,从而构建了一套较为完善的驾驶行为可靠性测试分析方法.最后对4组16名机车司机按事故与非事故组进行分时段连续测试与可靠度计算,其结果表明,双司机驾驶行为可靠性不仅决定于单司机驾驶行为可靠性,并且正副司机间的协调性密切相关,同时与作业时间呈凹函数分布.     

交通信号倒计时对车速与交通安全的影响

研究交通信号倒计时对自由流车速及交通安全的影响.选择城市道路交叉口,使用雷达测速设备采集进口道自由流车速等数据.运用描述统计、方差分析、列联表等统计方法,进行数据分析.数据显示,仅考虑单因素影响时,交通违法检测设备存在与否对车速均值有显著影响,而绿灯信号倒计时则无显著影响;考虑多因素相互影响时,在有绿灯信号倒计时但无交通违法检测设备的情况下,车辆速度均值会更高,且绿灯倒计时会对超速率产生影响.红灯倒计时对车速离散程度有明显的影响.结果表明,使用绿灯信号倒计时应同时安装交通违法检测设备,红灯倒计时路口应确保充分的绿灯间隔时间.     

手机导航方式对驾驶行为的影响研究

为研究驾驶员驾驶时使用不同手机导航方式对驾驶行为的影响,开展模拟驾驶试验,利用眼动仪获取4个场景下车辆行驶状态和驾驶人视觉参数;通过均值比较,方差和显著性分析,探究不同手机导航方式下驾驶行为存在的差异。结果表明:不同手机导航方式均造成驾驶分心,但分心程度不同;手持手机导航使驾驶人对前方和左侧区域的关注下降最为显著;使用导航时,驾驶人一般通过降低车速来减少分心带来的潜在风险,其中手持手机导航降低幅度最大;使用手机导航时,车辆纵向速度标准差更加集中,说明此时驾驶人对于车辆的控制变强。     

Responsibility of drivers, by age and gender, for motor-vehicle crash deaths

Problem: Motor-vehicle crash rate comparisons by age and gender usually are based on the extent to which drivers in a particular age/gender category are themselves injured or involved in crashes (e.g., the number of 20-year-old females in crashes). Basing comparisons instead on the extent to which drivers in various age/gender groups are responsible for deaths (including themselves) in their crashes is more revealing of their overall contribution to the problem. Methods: Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS, 1996–2000) were used in the analysis, which was based on crashes that involved one or two vehicles only. Drivers in fatal single-vehicle crashes were assumed to have responsibility for the crash. In fatal two-vehicle crashes, driver operator errors reported by police were used to assign crash responsibility. Results: When all crashes were considered, both the youngest and oldest drivers were most likely to be responsible for deaths in their crashes. In two-vehicle crashes, the oldest drivers were more likely than young drivers to be responsible. Young males were more likely than young females to be responsible for crash deaths, whereas females in their 50s and older were more likely than same-age males to be responsible. In terms of responsibility for deaths per licensed driver, young drivers, especially males, had the highest rates because of their high involvement rates and high responsibility rates. The majority of deaths for which young drivers were responsible occurred to people other than themselves, especially passengers in their vehicles, whereas the bulk of the deaths for which older drivers were responsible were their own. Discussion: The results highlight the contribution of young drivers to the motor-vehicle crash problem, the need for measures such as passenger restrictions in graduated licensing systems, and the need for vehicle modifications to better protect older occupants.     

California's graduated driver license law: Effect on teenage drivers' deaths through 2005

PROBLEM: While many researchers believe Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws save lives by imposing restrictions and delayed licensure on drivers under age 18, longer term effects on older teenagers have not been studied. METHOD: The effects of California's strict GDL law on deaths of drivers ages 16-19 were analyzed for 1995-2005 using Incidence Rate Ratios (IRR) and Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) time series analysis of Fatality Analysis Reporting System mortality data. RESULTS: The two methods yielded similar results. IRR analysis found California 16-year-old drivers subject to the GDL experienced a 15% fatality decline (95% CI, 0.70-0.99), while 18 year-old drivers experienced a 15% increase (95% CI, 1.02-1.27). ARIMA analysis found 16 year-old drivers experienced a near-significant 20% fatality decline (p=0.07), while 18 year-olds experienced a 24% increase (p=0.01). Unlicensed teenage drivers and older teen drivers driving alone and transporting teenage passengers suffered significant fatality increases. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION: California's GDL may negatively affect older teenagers and other driver subpopulations and merits reevaluation.     

What vehicle features are considered important when buying an automobile? An examination of driver preferences by age and gender

Introduction

Certain vehicle features can help drivers avoid collisions and/or protect occupants in the event of a crash, and therefore, might play an important role when deciding which vehicle to purchase. The objective of this study was to examine the importance attributed to key vehicle features (including safety) that drivers consider when buying a car and its association with age and gender.

Methods

A sample of 2,002 Canadian drivers aged 18 years and older completed a survey that asked them to rank the importance of eight vehicle features if they were to purchase a vehicle (storage, mileage, safety, price, comfort, performance, design, and reliability). ANOVA tests were performed to: (a) determine if there were differences in the level of importance between features and; (b) examine the effect of age and gender on the importance attributed to these features.

Results

Of the features examined, safety and reliability were the most highly rated in terms of importance, whereas design and performance had the lowest rating. Differences in safety and performance across age groups were dependent on gender. This effect was most evident in the youngest and oldest age groups.

Conclusions

Safety and reliability were considered the most important features. Age and gender play a significant role in explaining the importance of certain features.

Impact on Industry

Targeted efforts for translating safety-related information to the youngest and oldest consumers should be emphasized due to their high collision, injury, and fatality rates.     

驾驶人视觉注意力需求与驾驶行为特性的关系

采用驾驶模拟系统平台,以不同车道类型及不同交通流状态(自由流/稳定流/不稳定流/强制流)为虚拟试验场,应用心理试验设计方法,测试得到21名被试在不同交通流状态下的视觉注意力需求及驾驶行为。对5种车道类型及4种交通流状态下被试驾驶时的视觉注意力需求特性和驾驶行为特性数据进行分析,得到不同车道不同交通流状态下的视觉注意力需求变化情况。利用多元回归方法分析了不同交通流状态下驾驶人视觉注意力需求与驾驶行为之间的关系,并构建了基于驾驶行为特性的驾驶人视觉注意力需求预测模型。结果表明,驾驶人视觉注意力需求与制动次数、油门踏板位移和车辆轨迹偏差之间存在相关关系。     

城市道路下分心行为对驾驶员驾驶绩效的影响

为探究城市道路条件下常见驾驶分心行为对驾驶绩效的影响,以16名青年志愿者为被试,开展实车驾驶试验,测量车辆纵向和横向行驶参数,对比分析正常驾驶和分心驾驶状态下的驾驶绩效,并探讨驾驶经验的影响。结果表明:3种分心行为均使横向加速度标准差和纵向加速度标准差增加,而使速度均值降低,说明驾驶员通过速度和转向控制补偿分心状态下的驾驶绩效;交谈对速度均值和纵向加速度均值、阅读广告对速度标准差和横向加速度均值具有显著性影响(p<0.05);接听电话时,经验驾驶员速度标准差明显高于新手(p=0.021);接听电话和阅读广告次任务下,经验驾驶员的横向加速度均值均明显较高(p=0.003,p=0.004),说明经验丰富的驾驶员受分心行为的影响程度更低。     

Exploring simulated driving performance among varsity male soccer players

Background: It is documented that male athletes display riskier behaviors while driving (as well as in life in general) than female athletes and nonathletes. However, the literature has reported that athletes show better driving ability than nonathletes. This paradox between behaviors and abilities motivated the present study to further understand the collision risk of varsity athletes.

Objective: The current study estimates the performance differences between varsity male soccer players and male undergraduate nonathletes on (1) a driving task and (2) three perceptual–cognitive tasks (associated with collision risk prediction; i.e., Useful Field of View [UFOV] test).

Methods: Thirty-five male undergraduate students (15 varsity soccer players, 20 undergraduate nonathletes) took part in this study. Driving performance was assessed during 14?min of urban commuting using a driving simulator. While completing the simulated driving task and UFOV test, the physiological responses were monitored using an electrocardiograph (ECG) to document heart rate variability (HRV).

Results: Varsity soccer players showed more risky behaviors at the wheel compared to their nonathlete student peers. Varsity soccer players spent more time over the speed limit, committed more driving errors, and adopted fewer safe and legal behaviors. However, no difference was observed between both groups on driving skill variables (i.e., vehicle control, vehicle mobility, ecodriving). For subtests 1 and 2 of the UFOV (i.e., processing speed, divided attention), both groups performed identically (i.e., 17?ms). The nonathlete group tended to perform better on the selective attention task (i.e., subtest 3 of UFOV test; 63.2?±?6.2?ms vs. 87.2?±?10.7?ms, respectively; this difference was not significant, P = .76).

Conclusion: Preventive driving measures should be enforced in this high-risk population to develop strategies for risk reduction in male team athletes.     

Cycle Aware Package: Using Haddon’s matrix to reduce novice driver crashes with cyclists

Abstract

Objectives: What are we teaching drivers about safely interacting with cyclists? This is the main objective of the Cycle Aware project. As part of the study, a teaching and learning package is being developed to fill this gap in Australia.

Methods: Cycle Aware is a major national project that takes a mixed methods approach to investigate how cyclists are taught to share the road with cyclists when learning to drive. The project has five stages: (1) a national review of the driver licensing documentation; (2) interviews with key stakeholders (n?=?35) involved with novice driver education; (3) analysis of cyclist-novice driver crash data to identify the most frequent crash types; (4) develop a teaching and learning package (Cycle Aware Package), and; trial and evaluate Cycle Aware Package.

Results: Overall, drivers are taught little about sharing the road with cyclists. Representation of cyclists in government documentation is mixed and mostly negative and interviews identified driver-cyclist tensions related to attitudes and awareness of sharing the road. Crash types were similar among novice and experienced drivers. The Cycle Aware Package is being finalised and will be trialled in South Australia and Northern Territory in early 2019.

Conclusions: Cycle Aware will provide new insights into the way drivers are taught to share the road with cyclists. The Cycle Aware Package with interactive online content and driver competencies will facilitate a new approach to addressing this gap among Australia drivers.     

Improving graduated driver licensing systems: a conceptual approach and its implications

Graduated driver licensing (GDL) is a concept for how to transform non-drivers into reasonably safe drivers while minimizing the risks as they learn. Several state GDL programs can be improved by moving their structures closer to an adequate implementation of that concept. The learner stage of a GDL system needs to be long enough for beginners to obtain a thorough introduction to the vagaries of driving. The second or intermediate stage needs to effectively limit exposure to known high risk conditions as novices adapt to being fully in charge of the vehicle. The benefits of GDL to date are due almost entirely to the risk-reducing conditions it implements. To improve the functioning of GDL will probably require a better understanding of teen driving than we presently have. The likelihood of further gains will be enhanced by efforts to learn more about the actual causes of teen crashes, the nature and type of teen driver exposures, and what parents do with their teens during the supervised driving stage of GDL. Without a better understanding of these, and other, phenomena it will be difficult to further reduce crashes among young beginning drivers, whether through GDL enhancements or with other approaches.     

公交驾驶员驾驶愤怒量表的编制及初步应用

为探究公交驾驶员的驾驶愤怒诱因,基于原始驾驶愤怒量表和客运驾驶员驾驶愤怒量表,经过访谈设计公交驾驶员驾驶愤怒量表,并在广东省内回收210份有效数据;通过项目分析、探索性因素分析和信效度分析修订量表;通过皮尔逊相关分析和独立样本t检验初步分析调查数据。结果表明:修订后的量表有较好的信效度,由23个题项组成,包括利己行为、缓慢驾驶、交通阻碍、违规驾驶和无礼行为等5个因子,其中利己行为平均得分最高;近2年发生过交通事故与因违章被处罚过的驾驶员缓慢驾驶得分显著较高;除缓慢驾驶外的所有因子得分与公交驾龄显著正相关;利己行为和无礼行为得分两者与每天平均工作时长显著正相关。     

Evaluating the impact of passengers on the safety of older drivers

PROBLEM: This study involved a quasi-induced exposure analysis of 4 years of crashes involving older drivers in the state of Kentucky. METHOD: Single- and multivehicle crashes were disaggregated according to the number of passengers: (a) no passenger, (b) one passenger, and (c) two or more passengers. RESULTS: Overall, the presence of two or more passengers was found to negatively impact the probability that drivers 75 years of age or older were at fault in crashes. Several potential factors were studied for interactive effects with passengers: vehicle occupant gender mix, time of the day, road curvature, grade, and number of lanes. The negative impact of passengers increased for some geometric road conditions. However, older drivers were found to be safer at night when carrying two or more passengers. The presence or absence of passengers was not found to affect the 65- to 74-year-old driver group. Groups of male vehicle occupants with a 75+ male driver were found to have high single-vehicle crash rates. IMPACT: These results are among the first to directly consider the effect of passengers on the crash-causing propensity of older drivers and the findings suggest more work is warranted to consider causes for the crash rate differences.     

What we know,what we don't know,and what we need to know about graduated driver licensing

On November 5-7, 2002, the Symposium on Graduated Driver Licensing in Chatham, MA, brought together 75 researchers and practitioners from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to document the current science of graduated driver licensing (GDL) and to outline research needs. Participants reviewed 12 background papers and discussed the papers in depth. The symposium's background papers are published in this issue of the Journal of Safety Research.This paper summarizes and provides a quick reference to information from the symposium papers and participant discussions. It cites the 12 symposium papers, which in turn provide more information and cite original sources. Issues and recommendations not followed by a citation were raised in the symposium discussions.This paper is divided into seven sections. The first six sections summarize information from the symposium papers and discussions. The sections are: (1) The need for graduated driver licensing; (2) Effectiveness of GDL as implemented; (3) The learner's permit phase; (4) The provisional license phase; (5) The roles of teens, parents, and public agencies; and (6) Enacting and implementing GDL. In each of these six sections, research needs are classified as either high priority (important for designing and implementing effective GDL programs) or lower priority (useful but not critical for GDL at this time).The final section summarizes the discussion of research issues and priorities from the symposium's closing session. This section has three topics: general research, issues involving parents, and issues involving graduated licensing legislation and implementation. It presents participants' collective views on both broad priorities and specific issues.In providing a concise summary of presentations and discussions from the symposium, this paper necessarily omits some information and points of discussion. The views and judgments expressed are the authors' best attempt to capture the symposium's consensus, but they do not necessarily represent the views of the authors, their organizations, or any other individual symposium participant. In particular, they are not necessarily endorsed by the symposium's sponsors: General Motors, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Safety Council, and Nationwide.     

Road safe seniors: Screening for age-related driving disorders in inpatient and outpatient settings

Introduction

Older drivers are increasing in number and they often have health conditions that place them at high risk for motor-vehicle crashes (MVC). Screening is underutilized, and is rarely done in hospital settings.

Methods

A convenience sample of 755 older adults completed age related driving disorders screening at University of California, San Diego inpatient and outpatient health centers. Screening included three strength/frailty tests, two vision tests (acuity and fields), and two cognitive tests, based on AMA recommendations. The average age of participants was 72.5; 55.5% were male and 94% English-speaking; 17.8% of older adults failed at least one aspect of screening.

Results

In multivariate analysis, significant associations of failed status were age, male sex, selfrestrictions of driving, and inpatient screening locations. The screening identified one in six adults to be 'high-risk' for age related driving disorders. Screening was effective and feasible in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Impact on industry

As the driving population ages, industry, government and health car providers need to plan for the management of driving impairments in older adults.