A review of the evidence pertaining to the problem of the ageing driver showed that in 1940, 5.9% of the population of licensed drivers was over 60 years of age; by 1960 this proportion had increased to 11.4%. In terms of accidents per licensee, those drivers below the age of 24 and those over the age of 60 years have worse records than those in the middle age groups. Older drivers are more frequently involved in accidents resulting from improper starting and turning and failure to give right of way, while the younger drivers are involved in accidents resulting from speeding and the use of faulty equipment. Attempts to isolate sensory changes with age and identify these as the causes of accidents have given equivocal results. More important are the age changes in perception. Decision making and judgments involving the use of short-term memory in a dynamic situation deteriorate with age, as do intellectual capacities, and there is evidence to suggest that these aspects of the ageing process are more frequently the causes of accidents among old than young ddrivers. Age by itself cannot be regarded as an adequate basis on which to make a decision concerning a person's ability to drive. Topics for further study are suggested.
Abstract