Examining Risky Driving Behavior Among Older Drivers Using Self-Reported and Objective Data

Abstract Motor vehicle crashes represent a significant public health problem. Efforts to improve driving safety are multifaceted, focusing on vehicles, roadways, and drivers with risky driving behaviors playing integral roles in each area. As part of a study to create guidelines for developing risky driving countermeasures, 480 drivers (118 young/18-25, 183 middle-aged/35-55, 179 older/65 and older) completed online surveys measuring driving history, risky driving (frequency of engaging in distracted [using cell phone, texting, eating/drinking, grooming, reaching/interacting] and reckless/aggressive [speeding, tailgating, failing to yield right-of-way, maneuvering unsafely, rolling stops] driving behaviors), and psychosocial characteristics. A cluster analysis using frequency of the risky behaviors and seat belt use identified five risky behavior-clusters: 1) rarely/never distracted-rarely/never reckless/aggressive (n=392); 2) sometimes distracted-rarely/never reckless/aggressive (n=33); 3) sometimes distracted-sometimes reckless/aggressive (n=40); 4) often/always distracted-often/always reckless/aggressive (n=11); 5) no pattern (n=4). Older drivers were more likely in the first/lowest cluster (93.8% of older versus 84.2% of middle-aged and 59.3% of young drivers; p<.0001). Fifteen older drivers participated in a follow-up study in which their vehicles were equipped with a data acquisition system that collected objective driving and video data of all trips for three weeks. Analysis of video data from 145 older driver trips indicated that older drivers engaged in at least one distracted behavior in 115 (79.3%) trips. While preliminary, this suggests considerably more frequent engagement in distracted driving than self-reported and that older drivers should not be excluded from consideration when developing risky driving behavior countermeasures. Full study results and implications will be presented.

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Using Real-Time and Post Hoc Feedback to Improve Driving Safety for Novice Drivers

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1541931213601441 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 1936-1940 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sheila G. Klauer ◽

Tina B. Sayer ◽

Peter Baynes ◽

Gayatri Ankem

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Driving Behavior ◽

Driving Safety ◽

Risky Driving ◽

Novice Drivers ◽

Safe Driving ◽

Driving Behaviors ◽

Post Hoc ◽

Risky Driving Behaviors

Introduction. Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of fatalities among teens in the U.S. (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2013). Prior research suggests that real-time and post hoc feedback can improve teen driver behavior. The Driver Coach Study (DCS) aimed to improve teens’ safe driving habits by providing them real-time feedback and post hoc feedback to a broader range of risky driving behaviors that have never been used in previous studies. Exposure data were also collected so that rates of risky driving behaviors over time could be assessed. Post hoc feedback, which included an electronic report card of risky driving behavior as well as video clips, was provided to both teens and parents via email and secure website link. Method. Ninety-two teen/parent dyads were recruited in southwest Virginia to have a data acquisition system (DAS) installed in their vehicles within two weeks of receiving their learner’s permit. Data were collected through the nine-month (minimum) learner’s permit phase plus seven months of provisional licensure. Feedback was only provided for the first six months of post licensure, then turned off to assess whether teenagers returned to unsafe driving behavior. Trained data coders reviewed 15 seconds of video surrounding each risky driving maneuver, and recorded driver errors such as poor vehicle control, poor speed selection, drowsiness, etc., for each event. Results. In this paper, the relationship between driver coaching and driver errors will be examined across the six-month feedback phase and also compared to the seventh month when feedback was turned off. Conclusions. This study has implications for the design of future monitoring and feedback systems, as it is currently unknown whether these devices can improve novice drivers’ crash rates.

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Using trip diaries to mitigate route risk and risky driving behavior among older drivers

Accident Analysis & Prevention ◽

10.1016/j.aap.2016.09.023 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 106 ◽

pp. 480-491 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rashmi P. Payyanadan ◽

Adam Maus ◽

Fabrizzio A. Sanchez ◽

John D. Lee ◽

Lillian Miossi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Driving Behavior ◽

Older Drivers ◽

Risky Driving

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Prevalence of risky driving behaviours on popular television series

Canadian Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1503/cjs.015517 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 355-356

Author(s):

Abigail Tien ◽

Peter Chu ◽

Lorraine Tremblay

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Risk Taking ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Seat Belt ◽

Motor Vehicle Crashes ◽

Television Series ◽

Risky Driving ◽

The Road ◽

Driving Behaviour ◽

Popular Television

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among young adults. Social media and television have been shown to affect the likelihood that young adults will engage in risk-taking behaviour. We watched 216 episodes of five popular television series on Netflix and identified 333 separate driving scenes, of which 271 (81.4%) portrayed at least one risky driving behaviour. Unsafe driving (not wearing a seat belt) was the most common risky driving behaviour noted, occurring in 245 (73.6%) of driving scenes. Distracted driving (36 [18.8%]) and driving while using a cellphone (28 [8.4%]) were also noted. Popular television series model unsafe driving behaviours. Seat belts are infrequently used. As well, drivers are often distracted, looking away from the road to talk or talking on their cellphones. Television producers should be sensitive to modelling unsafe driving behaviours, particularly if the audience consists largely of young people.

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Road Crashes in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Risky Driving Behavior

Iranian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.18502/ijps.v15i2.2682 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hajar Sadeghi ◽

Yazdan Shabani ◽

Abdolghader Pakniyat ◽

Kiandokht Karimian ◽

Mehdi Harorani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Driving Behavior ◽

Risky Driving ◽

Road Crashes ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

The Mean ◽

Car Accident

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common problems in adolescents. Risky behaviors in patients with ADHD are due to impaired impulse control resulting from problems with inhibition of proponent responses, controlling interference, and stopping ongoing responses after feedback on errors. The present study investigated the relationship between ADHD and risky driving behavior and the likelihood of car accident in Arak, Iran, in 2015-16. Method: This case-control study was conducted in the Emergency Department of Vali-Asr hospital in Arak (Iran) on drivers who met the inclusion criteria. The data gathering tools included the Demographic Questionnaire, Manchester Driving Behavior Questionnaire (MDBQ), and Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 20 software. Results: The mean of ADHD (±SD) was higher among cases (81.64 [26.78]) than in controls (64 [24.28], P = 0.000). The mean of risky driving behaviors (±SD) was higher among cases (66.41[26.78]) than in controls (36.79 [25.42]). There was a significant relationship between ADHD, risky behavior, lapse errors, slips, deliberate ‎violation, and unintentional violation and car accident (P = 0.000). Conclusion: This study showed that ADHD increases the risk of road crashes and motor vehicle injuries. These drivers tend to drive at unauthorized speed, have less control over the vehicle, drive more carelessly, and are more likely to have an accident.

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Understanding Traffic Accidents among Young Drivers in Qatar

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19010514 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 514

Author(s):

Faris Tarlochan ◽

Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim ◽

Batool Gaben

Keyword(s):

Traffic Accidents ◽

Corrective Feedback ◽

Risky Behaviors ◽

Driving Behavior ◽

Self Report ◽

Measurement Scales ◽

Risky Driving ◽

Driving Behaviors ◽

Young Drivers ◽

Risky Driving Behaviors

Young drivers are generally associated with risky driving behaviors that can lead to crash involvement. Many self-report measurement scales are used to assess such risky behaviors. This study is aimed to understand the risky driving behaviors of young adults in Qatar and how such behaviors are associated with crash involvement. This was achieved through the usage of validated self-report measurement scales adopted for the Arabic context. A nationwide cross-sectional and exploratory study was conducted in Qatar from January to April 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the survey was conducted online. Therefore, respondents were selected conveniently. Hence, the study adopted a non-probability sampling method in which convenience and snowball sampling were used. A total of 253 completed questionnaires were received, of which 57.3% were female, and 42.7% were male. Approximately 55.8% of these young drivers were involved in traffic accidents after obtaining their driving license. On average, most young drivers do have some risky driving behavior accompanied by a low tendency to violate traffic laws, and their driving style is not significantly controlled by their personality on the road. The older young drivers are more involved in traffic accidents than the younger drivers, i.e., around 1.5 times more likely. Moreover, a young male driver is 3.2 times less likely to be involved in traffic accidents than a female driver. In addition, males are only 0.309 times as likely as females to be involved in an accident and have approximately a 70% lower likelihood of having an accident versus females. The analysis is complemented with the association between young drivers’ demographic background and psychosocial-behavioral parameters (linking risky driving behavior, personality, and obligation effects on crash involvement). Some interventions are required to improve driving behavior, such as driving apps that are able to monitor and provide corrective feedback.

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Emotional abilities as predictors of risky driving behavior among a cohort of middle aged drivers

Accident Analysis & Prevention ◽

10.1016/j.aap.2011.07.021 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 818-825 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Laura Arnau-Sabatés ◽

Josefina Sala-Roca ◽

Mercè Jariot-Garcia

Keyword(s):

Driving Behavior ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Risky Driving

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Age-Related Differences in Motor-Vehicle Crash Severity in California

Safety ◽

10.3390/safety5030048 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 48 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adekunle Adebisi ◽

Jiaqi Ma ◽

Jaqueline Masaki ◽

John Sobanjo

Keyword(s):

Injury Severity ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Safety Information ◽

Age Groups ◽

The United States ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Older Drivers ◽

Predictor Variables ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Vehicle Crash

With ongoing changes in the age distribution of drivers in the United States, it is important to obtain insights on how to make the roadways equally safe for drivers across different age groups. In light of this, the objective of this study is to examine various crash characteristics and make recommendations on how to potentially improve roadway safety for all age groups. Using the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) data, this study investigates the factors influencing motor-vehicle crash injury severity for young (aged 16–25), middle-aged (aged 26–64), and older drivers (above 64) in the state of California. A multinomial logit model was used to separately model crashes involving each age group and to evaluate the weight of different predictor variables on driver injury severity. The predictor variables were classified into four—driver, roadway, accident and environmental characteristics. Results suggest that there are close relationships between severity determinants for young and middle-aged drivers. However, older drivers tend to be most cautious among all age groups under all environmental and roadway conditions. Young drivers are more likely to explore their driving skills due to newness to driving. Middle-aged drivers are familiar with driving and tend to demonstrate less cautious behaviors, especially male drivers. Another insight obtained from this study is that older driver behavior is less dynamic compared to other age groups; their driving pattern is usually regular regardless of the surrounding conditions.

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An Analysis of Illicit Drug Use and Motor Vehicle Fatalities Using Contiguous State-Level Data

Journal of the Transportation Research Forum ◽

10.5399/osu/jtrf.56.2.4426 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Andrew M. Welki ◽

Thomas J. Zlatoper

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Death Rate ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Seat Belt ◽

Age Groups ◽

State Level ◽

Illicit Drug Use ◽

Older Drivers ◽

The Impact

This paper analyzes the influence of illicit drug use on highway fatal outcomes by estimating regression models using data for the 48 contiguous U.S. states for the years 2009 and 2010. The models include a representative, but not exhaustive, collection of roadway fatality determinants. The impact of illicit drug usage on the motor vehicle death rate differs across age groups. There are statistically significant life-taking effects from marijuana use by the very youngest drivers. Comparable effects from the usage of cocaine and nonmedical pain relievers occur among older drivers. Negatively associated with the highway death rate and statistically significant are real per capita income and seat belt use. Statistically significant positive relationships with the rate are found for the ratio of rural to urban driving, temperature, speed limit, the percentage of older drivers, and cell phone usage. The paper provides information to policy makers at a time when state-level drug laws are changing rapidly. Evidence reported here on how drug use affects highway fatal outcomes is relevant to that discussion.

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