HAZARD PERCEPTION IN AUTOMOBILE DRIVERS: AGE DIFFERENCES

A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE IF AUTOMOBILE DRIVERS OF DIFFERENT AGES PRECEIVE HAZARDS DIFFERENTLY WHILE DRIVING. NINE FEMALE SUBJECTS RANGING IN AGE FROM 23 TO 29 YEARS AND 11 FEMALE SUBJECTS RANGING FROM 17 TO 22 DROVE OVER A PREDETERMINED COURSE AND REPORTED ALL SITUATIONS THEY THOUGHT TO BE HAZARDOUS. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE TWO GROUPS DID INDEED DIFFER IN THEIR PERCEPTUAL PATTERNS. THE YOUNGER GROUP MORE OFTEN REPORTED NON-MOVING OBJECTS, SUCH AS BRIDGES, PARKED VEHICLES, ETC., TO BE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS AS OPPOSED TO MOVING OBJECTS, SUCH AS OTHER VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS. THE OLDER GROUP, ON THE OTHER HAND, REPORTED PERCEIVED HAZARDS AS STEMMING EQUALLY FROM BOTH NONMOVING AND MOVING OBJECTS. MEASURES OF VEHICLE TRACKING REVEALED NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  Highway Safety Research Center
  Chapel Hill, NC  United States  27599
• Authors:
  • SOLIDAY, S M
  • Allen, J A
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 11 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Drivers; Hazards; Human characteristics
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver characteristics; Hazard perception
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224217
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 15 1973 12:00AM