Effects of Cognitive and Physical Decline on Older Drivers' Side-to-Side Scanning for Hazards While Executing Turns

Abstract

Summary: Age related declines in cognitive and physical ability significantly impair an older adult's ability to safely drive. As we age it gradually becomes more difficult to scan for, detect, process, and ultimately react to critical elements in our driving environment. Older drivers are over represented in angled impacts in intersections. Research has shown that older drivers tend to execute fewer side-to-side glances while in the process of turning than middle-aged drivers. This decrease in scanning can directly lead to an increase in angled impacts. The present research investigates the correlation between cognitive and physical decline and the likelihood that an older driver will execute side-to-side glances at the beginning and during a turn. Results of both simulator and field drive sessions with fifty-four older drivers 70-89 years of age demonstrated that cognitive, but not physical, decline was significantly correlated with a decrease in side-to-side scanning while turning.

Pedestrians’ behaviour in cross walks: The effects of fear of falling and age

“…While the correlation between eye movements and head pitches have not been explored in the context of crossing behaviour, there is some evidence that they are related or even coordinated in a range of human and animal behaviours (Pratt, 1981;Guitton and Volle, 1987;Land, 1992;Gilchrist et al, 1997;Romoser and Fisher, 2009). …”