Intersection Related Crash Injuries: A Study on Factors Contributing to Injury Severity among Younger and Older Drivers in Summer and Winter

Older drivers and younger drivers are affected differently both in summer and winter. Different factors affect each level of severity differently;some factors affect a particular level of injury severity differently from when the same factor is analyzed for another injury severity. The goal of this study is to identify the factors that contribute to injury severity among older drivers (65+) and young drivers (16 - 25) considering two seasons namely, summer and winter at intersections. Binary ordered probit models were used to develop four models to identify the contributing factors, two models for each season, namely winter and summer. A statistical t-test has been done to identify the statistically significant variables @ 90% confidence interval. Based on the developed models, in summer, three contributing factors, driving too fast condition, rear-end crashes, and followed too close are associated with younger drivers injury severity, while two contributing factors, rear-end crashes and followed too close are associated with older drivers injury severity. In winter, five factors, made an improper turn, E Failed to Yield Right-of-Way from Traffic Signal, rear end (front to rear), gender like male and lighting condition like dark and dusk light condition, are associated with younger drivers injury severity, while three factors such as made improper turn, rear-end crashes, and followed too close are associated with older drivers injury severity. Contributing factors in summer are the same for both younger and older drivers, but different in winter for both younger and older drivers. This indicates that older drivers and younger drivers are affected differently both in summer and winter.

Support Systems Designed for Older Drivers to Achieve Safe and Comfortable Driving

Background: The number of older people is increasing. Many of them expect to maintain a rich social life and to continue driving at an older age. Objective: The present study investigates the mechanisms behind self-regulation and driving cessation in order to suggest development of support systems to prolong older drivers’ safe mobility. Method: Three focus groups were conducted with 19 older active drivers aged 65+ who were divided according to annual mileage driven. Results: A content analysis revealed broad self-regulatory behaviour as already reported in the literature, e.g., avoiding driving at rush hour and at night. The participants also reported difficulty in finding the way to their final destination and an increasing need to plan their travelling. Co-piloting was a behaviour applied by couples to cope with difficulties encountered in traffic. A large part of the discussion was focused on emerging feelings of stress, anxiety and fear when driving in recent years, a feeling induced by external factors e.g., other road users’ behaviour, traffic density or high speed. Apart from health problems, high levels of stress could explain driving cessation, especially for women. An increased feeling of safety and comfort could be achieved by an increased use of support systems specifically designed to respond to older drivers’ needs. Conclusion: Support systems for older drivers should increase comfort and decrease their stress levels. New systems, such as co-pilot function and more developed Global Positioning System (GPS) supporting of the entire travel from door to door, should be developed to respond to the market needs.

A comparative study of automotive trip characteristics between older drivers and others among densely inhabited district and other areas

This paper examines older driver＇s automotive trip （abbreviation： trip） characteristics which include trip frequency, trip length, destination distribution, and non- home-based （NHB） trips. A two-month experiment of 108 participants was carried out to collect GPS tracking data in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. To identify the effect of living area, a comparative analysis between older drivers and others is conducted in densely inhabited district （DID, i.e., urban） and other areas （non-DID, i.e., suburban, rural, etc）, separately. The present study found that there was no sig- nificant difference between the trip characteristics of older drivers and others who were living in DID. Thus, we suggest that the education of safety driving and the rec- ommendation of public transportation should be given to DID-living older drivers. However, the results of non-DID reflected that older drivers＇ trip frequency, trip length, destination, and NHB trips rate were shorter and lower than others＇. This implies that electric vehicles may be suit- able for promotion among older drivers in suburban and rural area. Furthermore, the regression analysis confirmed that ＂older driver＂ was a significant independent variable on trip frequency, trip length, and NHB trips, and there were interaction effects between ＂older driver＂ and ＂living areas＂ on all trip characteristics.

Old, Diseased and Unfit to Drive a Motor Vehicle? An Evidence-Based View on Risk Factors among Senior Drivers in Germany

The present study aimed to identify risk factors among older adult drivers from realistic data in order to stimulate the development of appropriate safety measures in the future.For this purpose,N=400 archived case files from the driving authority in Dresden(Germany),were systematically analysed.The risk criterion was the outcome of the fitness to drive(FTD)assessment required by the authority.The results show that there are several significant risk factors(aged over 80,dementia,multi-morbidity and involvement into complex accidents)that can serve as cues for being unfit to drive.The practical measures for enhancing traffic safety are discussed.

Study of older male drivers’driving stress compared with that of young male drivers

In this study,older male drivers’stress while driving in straight links and while proceeding through intersections is investigated.Controller area network(CAN),self-reported stress(SRS),and physiological data was collected in 22.4 km-long experimental trips among older and young drivers.First,this study finds that older drivers reported much less stress than young drivers.However,principal components(PCs)of the physiological data demonstrate that older drivers might underrate their driving stress in entire trips,except regarding turning at intersections.Moreover,following other vehicles reduced older drivers’driving stress because preceding vehicles might help them control driving speed,detect the path,and prevent road risks.In contrast,the similar condition increased the stress level of young drivers.The results of random effects regression models confirm that age was the significant impact factor on SRS and physiological data.While examining whether the stress at intersections could affect their driving behaviors,significant difference between two age groups was found neither in turning time nor in the driving speed.This study also confirms that physical and mental changes with aging can negatively affect older adults’behaviors.Considering the relationships among stress,speed,and accidents,we suggest the provision of more driver assistance systems,training,and education and improving intersection design for older drivers.

An analysis on older driver＇s driving behavior by GPS tracking data： Road selection, left/right turn, and driving speed

With the high older-related accident ratio and increasing population aging problem, understanding older drivers＇ driving behaviors has become more and more important for building and improving transportation system. This paper examines older driver＇s driving behavior which includes road selection, left/right turn and driving speed. A two-month experiment of 108 participants was carried out in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Since apparently contradictory statements were often drawn in survey-based or simulators-based studies, this study collected not only drivers＇ basic information but also GPS data. Analysis of road selection demonstrates that older drivers are reluctant to drive on expressway not only in short trips but also in long trips. The present study did not find significant difference be- tween older drivers and others while turning at the intersections. To investigate the impact factors on driving speed, a random-effects regression model is constructed with explan- atory variables including age, gender, road types and the interaction terms between age and road types. Compared with other variables, it fails to find that age （60 years old or over） has significant impact on driving speed. Moreover, the results reflect that older drivers drive even faster than others at particular road types： national road and ordinary municipal road. The results in this study are expected to help improve transportation planning and develop driving assistance systems for older drivers.