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Experienced, elderly drivers may notice pedestrians half as often as their younger counterparts

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Elderly drivers are half as likely to see pedestrians on the sidewalk due to a limited field of view and may drive more slowly to compensate, according to findings published online in Accident Analysis and Prevention.

“These findings strengthen the notion that elderly drivers, shown to have a narrower useful field of view, may also be limited in their ability to detect hazards, particularly when outside the center of their view,” study author Tal Oron-Gilad, PhD, stated in a press release.

Oron-Gilad and colleagues studied experienced elderly and younger drivers, and compared the groups’ reaction times and perceptions of pedestrians as hazards. The hazard-protection abilities of the groups were evaluated using the following methods:

• observing traffic scene videos and pressing a button when a hazardous situation was identified; and
• using a driving simulator.

The video observation testing of the two groups showed that elderly drivers had a longer response time for hazard detection, according to the release. Furthermore, four of the eight pedestrian-related events were described as “difficult” for experienced, elderly drivers to perceive compared with experienced, younger drivers.

The driving simulations revealed that the elderly performed braking actions half as often as the younger group in response to pedestrians on sidewalks and road shoulders, indicating that a limited useful field of view may limit the ability of the elderly to detect hazards away from the center of their field of vision.

The testing also showed that elderly drivers compensated by driving about 20% slower than their younger counterparts. The authors noted that this was potentially associated with elderly drivers’ awareness of their deficiencies in response time and hazard detection. The authors added that authorities should be aware of such limitations and increase elderly drivers’ awareness of pedestrians by posting traffic signs or lane marks that inform drivers of potential upcoming hazards.

Reference:

• Bromberg S, et al. The perception of pedestrians from the perspective of elderly experienced and experienced drivers. Accid. Anal. Prev. Published online Jan. 21, 2011. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2010.12.028.

Disclosure: No financial conflicts of interest were reported.

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