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The crash involvement of older drivers is associated with their hazard perception latencies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2010

MARK S. HORSWILL ,
KAARIN J. ANSTEY ,
CHRISTOPHER G. HATHERLY  and
JOANNE M. WOOD
MARK S. HORSWILL*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
KAARIN J. ANSTEY
Affiliation:
Ageing Research Unit, Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
CHRISTOPHER G. HATHERLY
Affiliation:
Ageing Research Unit, Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
JOANNE M. WOOD
Affiliation:
School of Optometry, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Mark S. Horswill, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. E-mail: m.horswill@psy.uq.edu.au
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Abstract

Hazard perception in driving is the one of the few driving-specific skills associated with crash involvement. However, this relationship has only been examined in studies where the majority of individuals were younger than 65. We present the first data revealing an association between hazard perception and self-reported crash involvement in drivers aged 65 and over. In a sample of 271 drivers, we found that individuals whose mean response time to traffic hazards was slower than 6.68 s [the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve derived pass mark for the test] were 2.32 times [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.46, 3.22) more likely to have been involved in a self-reported crash within the previous 5 years than those with faster response times. This likelihood ratio became 2.37 (95% CI, 1.49, 3.28) when driving exposure was controlled for. As a comparison, individuals who failed a test of useful field of view were 2.70 (95% CI, 1.44, 4.44) times more likely to crash than those who passed. The hazard perception test and the useful field of view measure accounted for separate variance in crash involvement. These findings indicate that hazard perception testing and training could be potentially useful for road safety interventions for this age group. (JINS, 2010, 16, 939–944.)

Keywords

Automobile driver examinationsAgedAgingAutomobile driving standardsTraffic accidentsMotor vehicles
Type
Brief Communications
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 16 , Issue 5 , September 2010 , pp. 939 - 944
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2010

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