DRIVING ABILITY AS AFFECTED BY AGE. FINAL REPORT

TWO GROUPS OF DRIVERS DESIGNATED AS BEING "YOUNGER" OR "OLDER" DEPENDENT UPON THE AGE SPLIT AT UNDER OR OVER 51 YEARS, WERE TESTED IN SEVERAL PERFORMANCE AND JUDGMENTAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE UCLA DRIVING SIMULATION LABORATORY. VARIOUS PERFORMANCE AND JUDGMENTAL SCORES WERE GENERATED AND ANALYZED IN AN ATTEMPT TO RELATE SUCH SCORES TO CHRONOLOGICAL AGE. IT WAS GENERALLY FOUND THAT THE JUDGMENTAL SKILLS OF DRIVERS DO NOT DECLINE WITH AGE (UNTIL SENILITY), AND THAT MOST OLDER DRIVERS MAKE COMPENSATORY CHANGES IN THEIR DRIVING HABITS TO COINCIDE WITH KNOWN PHYSIOLOGICAL DETERIORATION. FURTHER TESTING IS RECOMMENDED OF THE ABILITY OF OLDER DRIVERS TO RESPOND TO FORCED PACE SUBSIDIARY TASKS WHILE DRIVING IN THE UCLA SIMULATOR. AS A SCREENING DEVICE FOR DRIVER LICENSING, THE UCLA SIGN TESTER DEVICE IS RECOMMENDED TO DISCOVER THOSE DRIVERS, OLD OR YOUNG, WHO CANNOT PERFORM WELL ON THE DOUBLE TASK OF SIGN READING AND VEHICLE STEERING. /HSL/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Itte 70-18, 175 PP, 47 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  Itte, Calif Univ, Los Angeles

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Case, H W
  • Hulbert, S
  • Beers, J
• Publication Date: 1970-3

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Driver licensing; Driver performance; Drivers; Driving simulators; Judgment (Human characteristics); Motor skills; Personnel performance; Signs; Steering
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223409
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 12 1971 12:00AM