Aging and the use of an in-vehicle intersection crossing assist system: An on-road study

One of the principal facets of age-related decline–diminished perceptual ability, can also be viewed as a prominent factor when crossing intersections, particularly rural intersections that have disproportionately high fatality rate and where vehicles travel at higher velocities. Providing information through in-vehicle technology may aid drivers in improving crossing of such intersections. The current study examines the efficacy of an in-vehicle intersection crossing assist system in a real-world rural setting across age groups. Thirty-two, older and younger drivers completed several crossings of a busy rural intersection. Drivers completed two blocks of trials in which the presence/absence of the in-vehicle system was counterbalanced. The results showed a limited impact of the system on driving performance, exhibited in longer wait time before crossing and rising trend towards reduced probability of accepting small crossing gaps. Older drivers performed similarly to younger, although they showed a greater tendency towards conservative driving behaviour. The current study represents an initial effort to examine an in-vehicle intersection crossing assist system in a real-world rural environment, generating results that reveal a potential for these types of systems to be assistive to drivers across age groups and increase the safety at rural intersections.