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 CHORONOLOGICAL 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 A FORCED-PACE SUBSIDIARY TASK WHILE DRIVING IN THE UCLA DRIVING SIMULATOR. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT OLDER DRIVERS WILL PERFORM MARKEDLY WORSE THAN YOUNGER DRIVERS. AS A SCREENING DEVICE FOR DRIVER LICENSING TESTS, 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. /SRIS/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 152 Pp, 6 FIG, 26 TAB, 68 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Los Angeles

  School of Architecture and Urban Planning
  Los Angeles, CA  United States  90024
• Authors:
  • Beers, J
  • Case, H W
  • Hulbert, S
• Publication Date: 1970-3

Subject/Index Terms

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

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223416
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 18 1971 12:00AM