DRIVER ABILITY AS AFFECTED BY AGE

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 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 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. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Los Angeles

  Los Angeles, CA  United States 

  California Division of Highways

  Bridge Department
  Sacramento, CA  United States  05914

  Bureau of Public Roads /US

  400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

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

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00222592
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Bureau of Public Roads /US
• Report/Paper Numbers: No B-1-31
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 14 1970 12:00AM