This paper describes a major question that was being investigated by previous research, which is, "What are the Risk Factors for Involvement in Crashes among Older Drivers?" This discussion focuses on two issues that were part of the previous research: (1) conceptualization of driving competence: and (2) the measurement of cognitive functioning as a risk factor and driving performance as the criterion variable of interest. Psychologists studying driving behavior are often primarily concerned with the characteristics of the older driver-age, cognitive status, health, driving experience, and so forth. Secondarily, there is consideration of the demands of the environment or context in which driving occurs. For researchers who are engineers or human factors specialists, the primary focus is on these contextual factors with secondary consideration of the driver in relation to these factors.
Abstract