Company LOGO Overview of older user safety statistics and research Professor: Liu Student: Ruby

 In Australia constitute only 5.7 per cent of all casualty crashes and around 8 per cent of those involving serious injury. Older driver crashes

Types of crashes  They are more likely to crash at:  Lower speeds,  During daylight hours,  On dry roads,  Be well under the legal BAC limit,  More likely to crash at an intersection,  Be performing complex traffic manoeuvres at the time. (Fildes et al).

Types of crashes  He noted that common behaviors associated with older driver crashes in the USA included:  Running off the road,  Failing to stop or yield at intersections,  Rear end collisions,  Crashes during backing manoeuvres and turning across traffic. (McKnight)

Older pedestrian crashes  Older pedestrian crash rates are higher than all other age groups including the young and peak from around age 75 onwards.

Road and traffic difficulties  Older pedestrian crashes demonstrate a range of road and traffic difficulties that they encounter while using the roadway, which include:  Crossing the road at complex locations.  Crossing undivided roads without pedestrian refuges.  Understanding who has right-of-way.  Failure to see cars turning and reversing.  The speed of the traffic, conspicuity.  Do not having sufficient time to cross.  Highway design can be a particular problem for older pedestrians.

Ageing demographics  Predictions in Australia (Young) are for the proportion of older people to roughly double between 1990 and 2030 from 12 % to around 25 %.

Licensing and mobility changes  The current 7 % of males and 6.3 % females over the age of 70 years who hold a drivers license will expand to 13 % and 18 % respectively by the year (Eberhard)  Tomorrows older generation is much more mobile than the current generation as cars and travel have become more achievable and acceptable.  The new elderly will struggle more for mobility in their free time, especially auto- mobility, and the contentment and quality of life linked with it.

Health issues  A number of health issues related to ageing and safety have been identified by a number of researchers and were widely reviewed by Janke.

Research and action priorities  This paper will focus on older driver safety as the safety of older pedestrians is addressed in another paper in this research. (Fildes)  A strategic review was undertaken by Fildes, which aimed at identifying outstanding research and action vim for older drivers. These were collected into lists of potential research needs (15 items) and action needs (12 items) and these were then prioritized using a panel of 22 local and international experts in the ageing area.

Research priorities  Eight of the 15 research priorities identified during the review are listed in below:

Research priorities  Their ability to judge their dangerous for themselves and to conform that in their driving behavior was also rated highly, as was the need to examine more closely the suitability of highway design for older drivers.  The loss of one’s license can be associated with restricted ability to attend to daily activities, diminished socialization, greater reliance on family and friends for transportation, reduced quality of life and depression.

Action priorities  Seven of the 12 action priorities for older drivers that were identified during the review are listed in below:

Action priorities  Road designers take older drivers’ needs and limitations into their highway designs was stressed, identifying the need for a manual to assist them in this task.  The panel highlighted the need for alternative transport options to enable those judged unsuitable to drive to continue to lead a normal independent lifestyle.

Highway design for older drivers  First, to take the findings from the research report and develop a road and traffic engineer’s handbook.  Second, to develop a training course for road and traffic engineers to alert them to the problems facing older drivers and the need to take their abilities into account when designing or modifying roads.  Third, to work with the Austroads committee to sure that the standards for highway design includes principles more suitable for older drivers.

Conclusion  It is clear that the older driver safety problem will become a more substantial problem area in the coming years as the population ages.  Moreover, older drivers will also become a more vocal and influential group in the coming years.