Older Drivers’ Acceptance of In-Vehicle Systems and the Effect it has on Safety

Older drivers make up the fastest growing segment of the driving population and are, in general, underrepresented in vehicle crashes due to their self-restrictive driving habits. However, as the baby-boomer generation ages into the population of older drivers, the presence of in-vehicle systems designed to counteract the physical and psychological changes of aging could change their habits. Using a literature review to identify systems, effects of aging, and crash statistics of older drivers, various in-vehicle system types were identified and rated for their potential to mitigate the effects of aging on driving performance and behavior. Focus groups were then held with two age groups of older drivers (55-64 and 65-75) to assess their acceptance of four different systems identified by the literature review. Data from the focus groups were factored into a final in-vehicle system matrix that rates system types’ benefits to older drivers based on their generalized ability to counteract the effects of aging, and older drivers’ acceptance of them. In-vehicle systems that alert drivers to potential hazards (e.g., a forward collision warning system) resulted in the highest safety rating while systems that facilitated a driver’s ability to control the vehicle (e.g., an anti-lock braking system) had the lowest safety rating. Overall, the younger age groups of older drivers were more trusting of the various safety systems and felt that drivers their age would want the various systems compared to the older age group. In contrast, the 65-75 year olds were less anxious and less concerned about becoming overly reliant on the different systems compared to the 55-64 year olds.

• Record URL:
  http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Marshall_OlderDriversAcceptanceofIn-vehicleSystemsandtheEffectithasonSafety.pdf
• 
• Summary URL:
  http://matc.unl.edu/research/research_projects.php?researchID=459
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Mid-America Transportation Center

  University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  2200 Vine Street, PO Box 830851
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68583-0851

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Marshall, Dawn
  • Chrysler, Susan
  • Smith, Kayla
• Publication Date: 2014-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 91p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Active safety systems; Age groups; Aged drivers; Driver support systems; Focus groups; Literature reviews; Navigation systems; Traffic safety
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01544524
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 25-1121-0003-217, MATC-UI: 217
• Files: UTC, TRIS, RITA, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 24 2014 3:28PM