Richard Retting, MS, FITE Director of Safety & Research Sam Schwartz Engineering
Photograph by Jose Luis Pelaez/Blend Images/Getty1 11Images
100-year-old driver crashes into crowd of students
92-year-old driver says spilled coffee caused collision with pole
Vision Hearing Flexibility
Neck
Movement Memory loss Perception (reaction time) Mental acuity (confused & disoriented) Frailty (increased risk of death from MVC) Image Source: http://www.thetennesseeautoaccidentattorney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Confused-Signpost150x150.jpg
2010
NHTSA Report
• 5,484 people age 65+ killed (17% of all fatalities) • 189,000 injured (8% of all injured) Fatality
rates increase at age 75 and markedly after age 80 due to trauma Chest injuries Medical complications (i.e., pneumonia, decreased organ and immune function)
Compared
with younger drivers, older drivers are more likely to be involved in certain types of collisions: • Angle crashes • Overtaking or merging crashes • And especially intersection crashes
Multiple-vehicle crashes at intersections, 2011
Goal:
identify older drivers at high risk of MVC without falsely identifying drivers not at high risk Accelerated Renewal Cycles • Shorter periods between renewals • Renew in-person rather than
electronically/by mail Vision and road evaluations • Studies show that vision testing among
seniors is associated with lower fatal crash rates Image Source: http://www.iihs.org/laws/olderdrivers.aspx
State
Licensing Agencies may require:
• Physical or mental examinations • Retake the standard licensing tests: Vision Written Road driving States
Medical Review Boards
• Health care professionals advise on licensing
standards and cases in which a person's ability to drive safely is in doubt
Fitness
to Drive based on appearance, demeanor; history of crashes/violations; reports by physicians/police/others Results may allow person to: • Retain license • Refuse to renew the license • Suspend/revoke license • Restrict license (i.e., prohibit nighttime driving, require
vehicle to have additional mirrors, or limit driving to specified places/limited radius)
So
far, there are NO tests that accomplish goals of driver screening with sufficient accuracy
evidence of safety benefits from education courses for older drivers Drivers who choose to take these courses not representative of all drivers in their age group. Typically, they have lower crash rates before taking course. Evaluations of improvement/educational programs have found no reductions in crash risk among older driver participants relative to comparison groups
Advanced
frontal airbags reduce likelihood of injuries from deployments Improved head restraint systems protect against whiplash and other neck injuries Bigger and brighter displays/controls Electronic stability control Forward collision avoidance systems such as autonomous braking Adaptive headlights, help drivers see better on dark, curved roads by pivoting beam in direction of travel
Improve
visibility of signs and markings • Lettering • Size • Color
Intersection
Advance
lane control signs
traffic control signs
Overhead-mounted Redundant
street name signs
and advance street name signs
Left-turn
lanes and left-turn traffic signals Raised pavement markings for curbs in medians and islands Reconfigure existing or new intersections as roundabouts • Reduces vehicle speeds • Eliminates complicated aspects of
traditional intersections
Friend
or relative Public transportation • Train • Bus Taxi
cab (cab sharing, discounted fares for seniors) Ride a Senior Transit Shuttle Volunteer driver programs • Community center • Church/synagogue/mosque Ride
a Medi-car (provided by local Commission on Aging)
Older drivers: large and growing population Deteriorating physical/cognitive abilities contribute to high rates of fatal and injury crashes Older drivers more likely to be involved in certain types of collisions Limited evidence available on benefits of: