Elderly drivers and their accidents: the Aging Driver Questionnaire.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Road Safety
• Gerontology

Background:

• Aberrant driver behavior is categorized into errors, lapses, and violations, each with distinct psychological origins and road safety implications.
• Previous studies indicated violations are linked to accident involvement, unlike errors and lapses in a general driver population.
• Driver behavior and accident involvement among older adults require specific investigation due to unique age-related factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between driver behaviors (errors, lapses, violations) and accident involvement in drivers aged 50 and over.
• To investigate how factor analysis of the Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) data for older drivers relates to accident involvement.
• To determine if the established links between driver behaviors and accidents differ in an older driver cohort.

Main Methods:

• A survey of 1989 drivers aged 50 or over using the Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ).
• Factor analysis was performed on DBQ responses to identify underlying behavioral patterns.
• Statistical analysis was used to correlate DBQ factor scores with accident involvement data.

Main Results:

• Factor analysis of the DBQ data yielded five factors, but the original three categories (errors, lapses, violations) were maintained.
• High scores on the error factor predicted involvement in active accidents.
• High scores on the lapse factor predicted involvement in both active and passive accidents.

Conclusions:

• Driver error and lapse behaviors are significant predictors of active accident involvement in older drivers.
• Lapse behaviors are specifically associated with passive accident involvement in this age group.
• The findings suggest that interventions targeting errors and lapses may be crucial for improving road safety in older drivers.