Exploration of older drivers' speeding behaviour. (October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chevalier, Anna; Coxon, Kristy; Chevalier, Aran John; Wall, John; Brown, Julie; Clarke, Elizabeth; Ivers, Rebecca; Keay, Lisa
• Is Part Of: Transportation research. Volume 42:Part 3(2016)
• Page Start: 532
• Page End: 543
• Publication Date: 2016-10
• Subjects: Older drivers -- Speed -- Road safety -- Naturalistic -- In-vehicle monitoring -- Device; Automobile drivers -- Psychology -- Periodicals; Automobile driving -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 629.283019
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2016.01.012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1369-8478

Abstract

Highlights: Older drivers have increased crash and injury risk. Little is known about speeding. Speeding was examined in 1 week of GPS monitoring for 344 drivers aged ⩾75 years. Low range speeding was common, and greater amongst drivers resident in rural areas. The likelihood of speeding reduced with older age. Speeding events per distance were not explained by deficits in vision or cognition. Abstract: Speeding increases crash risk and resulting injury severity. Older drivers are at increased risk of injury due to frailty, at increased risk of crashing due to slower reaction times, and have less agility judging time and distance compared to younger drivers. However, there is little objective evidence about older drivers' speeding behaviour. Cross-sectional data from older drivers living in the suburban outskirts of Sydney, Australia, were used to determine the proportion of drivers involved in speed events, and examine factors that may influence this behaviour. Driving speed was estimated in approximately one-second intervals using Global Positioning System (GPS) location. Speed events were defined as driving 1 km/h or more, with 3% tolerance, above a single speed limit, averaged over 30-s of travel. Driving data from one-week were recorded for 344 participants aged 75–94 years (median 80). The majority of participants (78%) were involved in a speed event. Speed events per participant ranged from zero to 186 (median 8). Younger participants, those living in rural areas, and those driving on familiar roads closer to home were more likely to be involved in speed events adjusted for distance driven. In addition, rural residents were more likely to be involved in speed events when they had not been a driver involved in a crash during the previous year compared to those involved in a crash. Measures of visual and cognitive function did not predict involvement with speed events per distance ( p > 0.2). These findings are important for policy-makers and researchers addressing older drivers' speeding to reduce the incidence of crashes and resulting fatalities and injuries. As no evidence was found for speeding being associated with functional decline, countermeasures to address speeding for other drivers seem likely to be relevant to older drivers.