This article discusses how an increase in the number of drivers aged over 65 will affect highway design and layout. A recent survey by the Automobile Association has examined the problems faced by drivers aged between 55 and 75. The report found that: (a) older drivers drive slower than the average traffic speed, especially in rural areas; (b) most drivers undertake some night driving. Women and those over 75 are the most likely to avoid it. Glare and lack of visual clues are the main reason for not driving at night; (c) there is a lack of appreciation by older drivers of the increasing danger to themselves at junctions. The majority feel well able to cope and yet older studies show that involvement by older drivers in accidents at junctions, particularly in rural areas, increases with age. Judgement of speed and the ability to see both decrease with age. Peripheral vision, in particularly, is poorer, and elderly people can have difficulty turning their heads. A case is put for improving junction design to cater for the elderly. At present, the concept of absolute minimum visibility distances at junctions allows standards of visibility to be reduced below desirable minimum standards. Codes of good practice on carriageway marking renewal should also be reconsidered, so that good quality road markings are available to help elderly road users align themselves, especially at night.
Abstract