8.12: Driving Motor Vehicles
- Page ID
- 84047
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Driving accidents increase in numbers and in rates as the age of the drivers increase. For example, elderly drivers have twice as many accidents per mile compared with younger drivers. Elder drivers who have accidents are more likely to sustain serious or fatal injury than are younger drivers. At the same time, the number and proportion of elder drivers are increasing, and they will continue to increase at faster rates for the next few decades. By 2024, drivers over age 64 will make up 25 percent of all drivers.
Potential accident situations often require making quick and coordinated responses in new situations. Therefore, elder drivers can be very safe drivers until they meet surprising or complicated situations that demand quick reactions in unfamiliar situations. Examples of problematic situations for elders are intersections. In such demanding situations, age changes in muscle strength, speed, reaction time, and coordination contribute to an age-related decrease in driving ability. Age changes and age-related abnormalities in other body systems also contribute to reduced driving ability. These changes and abnormalities are described in other chapters.
Neurological parameters that change very little with normal aging include implicit memory of driving skills and making automatic coordinated responses. Other age-related changes that do not have a major impact on driving ability in elders include modest decrements in vision and in hearing. The small effects on driving safety among elders from decrements in vision and in hearing may be due to elders avoiding driving at times and conditions where these decrements are important (e.g., nighttime, bad weather, heavy traffic, high speeds, time pressures). In general, overall cognitive ability has little to do with driving skills until cognitive abilities become severely reduced. Therefore, people in early stages of dementia can still be good drivers.
Important neurological factors that limit driving ability for elders include age-related decreases in avoiding distraction; changing attention quickly; responding quickly in unfamiliar situations; noticing, accurately identifying and responding to sudden changes in the visual field; noticing and responding to a novel change in the environment; and distinguishing between important and unimportant items in the visual field.
Driving is very important to elders for many reasons including mobility; independence; a sense of self-efficacy; and a sense of self-worth. Loss of driving often causes major psychological, social, and economic problems for elders. Demands to provide alternative means of transportation increase (e.g., family, friends, community groups, private companies, governmental agencies).
Recommendations that can accommodate these diverse factors include providing reliable, practical and regular tests for evaluating elder drivers; providing education and training to maintain or improve elders' driving skills and safety; and developing alternative transportation for elders as they give up or lose their driving privileges.