Driving characteristics of the elderly drivers and factors associated with accident occurrence

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K13093
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Yamagata Prefectural University of Health Science
• Principal Investigator: Yokoi Kayoko 山形県立保健医療大学, 保健医療学部, 准教授 (70733856)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 高齢者 / 自動車運転

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed (1) to identify driving characteristics of the elderly drivers and (2) to elucidate factors associated with accident occurrence of the elderly drivers. Four elderly and four middle-aged people participated in the car driving experiment conducted under the following conditions: (1) driving intensively and (2) driving while counting numbers. Eye movements were also measured while participants were driving the simulator.
Due to limited number of participants and absence of car accident among them within a year, causes of driving accidents in elderly people cannot be analyzed. However, this study clarified that the rearview mirror checks were lesser in the elderly group than that in the middle-aged group.

Free Research Field

行動神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で，高齢運転者は中年者と比べて安全確認であるミラー確認が少ないという特徴があることが示唆された．高齢の方が安全に運転できる社会を実現するためには，高齢運転者の運転特徴をとらえ，高齢者に教育や指導をすること，自動車自体を高齢者にとって使いやすいものにしていくことなどが有効であると考える．本研究によって明らかになった高齢者の運転特性について，さらに研究を進めていくことで，安全な社会の実現に貢献できるものと考えている．