The Driver Behaviour Questionnaire for older drivers: Do errors, violations and lapses change over time?. (April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Koppel, S.; Stephens, A.N.; Charlton, J.L.; Di Stefano, M.; Darzins, P.; Odell, M.; Marshall, S.
• Is Part Of: Accident analysis and prevention. Volume 113(2018)
• Page Start: 171
• Page End: 178
• Publication Date: 2018-04
• Subjects: Older drivers -- Aberrant driving behaviour -- Errors -- Violations -- Lapses -- Road safety; Accidents -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Accident Prevention -- Periodicals; Accidents -- Prévention -- Périodiques; 363.106
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2018.01.036
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0001-4575

Abstract

Highlights: A modified DBQ reliably measured older drivers' aberrant driving behaviour. Older drivers' errors remained similar across three time-points. Older drivers' violations and lapses marginally decreased across three time-points. Abstract: The aim of the current study was to examine how self-reported aberrant driving behaviours change across a three time-points in a group of older drivers. Two hundred and twenty-seven older drivers (males = 69.6%) from the Candrive/Ozcandrive longitudinal study completed the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) each yearacross three time-points (i.e., Year 1, Year 2, Year 3). At the third time-point, older drivers ranged in age from 77 to 96 years (M = 81.74 years; SD = 3.44 years). A longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis showed that a modified 21-item, 3-factor (errors, lapses and violations) DBQ was invariant across the time period, suggesting that the structure of the questionnaire was stable across each time-point. Further, multiple domain latent growth analysis on the resultant factors for errors, lapses and violations showed that the frequency of errors remained similar across the three-year period, while violations and lapses showed very marginal decreases in frequency. These changes were independent of the absolute number of these behaviours; Drivers with higher violations or lapses in Year one, showed similar decreases in frequency as those who self-reported lower frequencies of the behaviours. These results suggest that the DBQ is a reliable tool to measure older drivers' self-reported aberrant driving behaviours, and that these behaviours do not show much change across time. Future research should validate the self-reported responses from the DBQ with more objective measures such as those collected through naturalistic driving study (NDS) methodology or on-road driving tasks.