Older drivers matched younger drivers in Situation Awareness scoring. The Situation Awareness scores of younger drivers were significantly related to their scores for hazard perception. Younger drivers outperformed older drivers on a hazard perception task, particularly in regards to the speed of detecting a hazard. AbstractThe two studies reported here sought to measure and compare the Situation Awareness (SA) of younger and older driver groups whilst driving (Study 1), and watching video footage of actual car journeys (Study 2). In both studies this was achieved by recording a participant's commentary on what s/he felt was of relevance to the driving task. The narratives produced were analysed by computer software that could abstract main concepts and calculate scores indicative of Situation Awareness. In Study 2, these scores were related to others for hazard perception proficiency (also derived from participant commentaries). It was found that the older drivers matched and often exceeded the younger drivers when their SA scores were compared individually, but not when assessed as a group. However, the younger drivers outperformed their older counterparts in hazard perception ability, and this was shown to be related to their Situation Awareness score. When the results from participants who undertook both studies were compared, it was found that Situation Awareness performance was significantly higher when commenting on video footage (Study 2) than whilst actually driving (Study 1).
A study investigating the comparative situation awareness of older and younger drivers when driving a route with extended periods of cognitive taxation A study investigating the comparative Situation Awareness of older and younger drivers when driving a route with extended periods of cognitive taxation. Highlights• Younger drivers performed comparatively better than older drivers in Situation Awareness related scoring.• Perceptions of task difficulty appeared to be an important influential factor for SA proficiency.• Textual analysis of driver commentaries found that older drivers were less aware of what was behind their vehicles and enunciated less safety-related concepts. AbstractThis study sought to measure and compare the Situation Awareness (SA) of a younger group of 11 drivers (average age 28.2 years) to that of an older group of 10 drivers (average age 77.2 years), as they traversed a route that included many cognitively taxing elements. This was achieved by recording a participant's continual commentary of what s/he felt to be of relevance during the drive. These recordings were then transcribed and assessed by computer software capable of abstracting the main concepts from each individual's or group's narrative, and calculating scores indicative of Situation Awareness. It was found that the younger drivers scored significantly higher (p<0.024) than their older counterparts. Furthermore, when the results from the participants who undertook both this and previous studies in the series were compared (see Key et al., 2016), it was found that SA scoring could be importantly influenced by perceptions of a task's difficulty, rather than its actual difficulty. It was also indicative from the narratives, that the younger driving group had demonstrated a better 360-degree awareness, and enunciated more safety-related concepts.
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