A Re-Assessment of Older Drivers as a Road Safety Risk

This research article, which uses statistics of older adult drivers in New Zealand as its empirical base, attempts to reevaluate the commonly-held opinion that older adult driver populations are overrepresented in vehicular crash statistics. Such an assessment is necessary in order to ensure that licensing is conducted in a judicious and scientific manner. The authors present an alternative data analysis method in their introduction that correlates annual distance traveled with crashes per kilometer, in which older adult drivers (here characterized as the set of persons aged 65 years or more) were as safe or safer in terms of crash involvement as the age group set from 25-65 years. Upon conducting extensive testing of 1266 participant older adult drivers for driving-related skills, researchers concluded that, while older adult drivers who drive annually for long distances tend to have similar crash patterns as other drivers, those who drive less per annum are, in fact, subject to elevated crash risk.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03861112
• Corporate Authors:

  Miniistry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Japan

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Langford, Jim
  • Koppel, Sjaanie
  • Charlton, Jude
  • Fildes, Brian
  • Newstead, Stuart
• Publication Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 27-37
• Serial:
  • IATSS Research
  • Volume: 30
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences
  • ISSN: 0386-1112

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged drivers; Crash rates; Physical condition; Risk assessment; Vehicle miles of travel
• Geographic Terms: New Zealand
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I80: Accident Studies; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01029634
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Jul 25 2006 7:13AM