Younger adults and older adults were compared with respect to the motor and mental abilities necessary to ride a bicycle. The elderly subjects swayed more and their mean speed was lower. No differential effects were found regarding curves versus straight stretches of road. Performing an auditory detection task while cycling did not lead to differences between the groups. The elderly were much more affected than the younger subjects however, when they had to do simple arithmetic while riding a bicycle. Compared to the latencies found in the laboratory version of the same task, the elderly were disproportionally slower. Riding a bicycle appears to interfere with the speed of mental tasks in the older adults. This differential effect can be held partly responsible for the high accident involvement of elderly cyclists in complex situations. For part I of the study see B 29355 (IRRD 825756).
Abstract