• 29
  • July
    2011

It seems that older drivers and teenage drivers are always the subjects of studies correlating car accidents, age and ability. Older drivers and teenage drivers are generally the two groups of drivers that experience the greatest amount of car accidents in comparison to other age groups of drivers. Again, older drivers are the subject in a recent study that looked at the ability of older drivers to notice pedestrians on the street.

Older drivers in comparison to younger drivers have a narrower field of vision and because of that narrower field of vision, older drivers notice pedestrians on the street or sidewalk less than drivers between the ages of 28 and 45. According to a recent study published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, drivers over the age of 65 are half as likely to notice pedestrians on or near the street as drivers who are 28 to 45 years old.

Researchers used driving simulators to form their conclusion. The different age groups of drivers were asked to test their driving capabilities in simulated traffic conditions. Older drivers took a longer time to respond to road hazards and used their brakes in response to a road hazard about half as often as the younger group of drivers. The older drivers' lack of response indicates that older drivers either did not see road hazards or did not consider the objects or situations to be hazardous.

Pedestrians that were outside of the older drivers' field of vision were not recognized in the simulation. Reduced peripheral vision is a common consequence of aging. Though older drivers may not be as likely to recognize pedestrians on the street in their periphery, older drivers drive up to 20 percent slower than other drivers. The slower speed may make up for reduced sight.

Source: Los Angeles Time, "Older drivers overlook streetside pedestrians almost twice as often as younger drivers," Melissa Healy, 3/7/11