Elderly drivers have a high accident rate per mile driven, though not per person per year. The number of elderly drivers has been increasing rapidly and is likely to continue to do so. Therefore, elderly drivers will constitute a considerable percentage of the ITS crash countermeasure market in the future. Crash characteristics of elderly drivers are different from those of middle aged drivers in many respects. This means that the strategies related to developing, testing, and purchasing ITS equipment should differentiate according to target classes. This paper studied intersection crashes using Michigan accident data and a taxonomy analysis of crash contributing factors, and quantified the potential benefit of ITS countermeasures. On the basis of vehicle miles traveled, rear end warning systems, lane detection and warning systems, and intersection warning systems would be of greatest value for elderly drivers, whereas a speed warning system would be more valuable for middle aged drivers. For the covering abstract see IRRD E102946.
Abstract