National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity The Mature Driver, Safety & Mobility Issues Principal Investigators: Naomi G. Rotter New Jersey Institute of Technology Claire McKnight City College of New York Research Assistants:Shaikh Rahman, NJIT Ruth Mateo, CCNY Project Monitor:Ken Stevenson, NJDOT Client:W. Patrick Scheffer, NJDOT NJDOT Research Month NJIT Week, October 16-20, 2000

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity  Given an increasing population of the age group 65 and older, is there a safety problem on the roads in New Jersey?  National data show inconsistent findings: A higher accident rate, per miles driven, for the older driver category. In absolute numbers, older drivers have fewest crashes of all types.  If there is a problem, what can be done to increase safety? The Research Problem

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity Source: Traffic Safety Facts 1998, R&D - National Center for Statistics & Analysis

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity Source: Traffic Safety Facts 1998, R&D - National Center for Statistics & Analysis

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity Driving Related Abilities  Visual  Cognitive  Psychomotor Abilities  Health Factors Medical Problems Effects of Medication

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity Visual Abilities  About 90 % of all information needed for driving is visual  Age related declines in visual abilities Visual acuity both static and dynamic Sensitivity to contrasts Ability to adapt to light and dark Increased sensitivity to glare Reduced peripheral vision

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity  Driving requires the ability to attend to and react to multiple visual cues and operate controls.  Age related cognitive declines Selected and vided attention Increase in distractibility Information processing time Reaction time Cognitive maps and way-finding skills deteriorate Cognitive Abilities

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity Psychomotor Abilities  Operating a car depends on the ability to respond physically to visual and to auditory signals.  Age related declines in psychomotor abilities Reaction time slows due to cognitive changes Health related problems slow reaction time.

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity Health Factors  Medical Conditions: Heart disease, Syncope, Stroke, Diabetes, & Alzheimer’s/Dementia  Effects of medications: Psychoactive drugs (tranquilizers, mood elevators, sleeping pills, etc.) effect CNS which in turn effects sensation, movement & thinking, Anti- hypertensives show mixed results on crash risk

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity Skill Enhancement and Self- Monitoring for Safety  Skill Enhancement Programs 55 alive/ Mature Driving, an AARP program Safe Driving for Mature Operators, an AAA program Coaching Mature Drivers, National Safety Council program  Self- Monitoring Less likely to drive during peak periods Less likely to use freeways Less likely to drive in adverse weather conditions Less likely to drive at night

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity State Licensing Policies  27 State have no special provisions. These include FL, NY, NJ, TX, OH  12 States have accelerated renewal period after a driver passes age 65 or 70  11 States have other provisions such as no mail renewal, vision tests, or road tests

National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity Research Design  An examination of accident data in New Jersey. This approach will look at age in relation to a number of other factors.  A survey of state DMVs to ascertain what changes are being considered to deal with safety issues for mature drivers.