Older adults have become the fastest growing age group worldwide and will continue to make up a more significant portion of the driving population. Given the increased potential for age-related perceptual, cognitive, and physical declines, it is important to understand the perception that older drivers have regarding their own driving abilities. This awareness often motivates their driving behavior and patterns.
A systematic review was conducted to synthesize the literature regarding the self-perception of driving abilities in older age. The PRISMA method was used and 10 databases (SCOPUS, TRID, PsycINFO, AgeLine, Web of Science, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, Inspec, Compendex, PubMed, and Medline) were searched to identify relevant articles. A total of 25 articles met the search criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis.
Overall, methods used to assess self-perception of driving abilities in older adults vary considerably. Some studies employ only subjective questionnaires, while others administer questionnaires in addition to on-road driving or simulated evaluations. Nonetheless, the studies overwhelmingly report that older drivers tend to rate highly, and often overestimate, their driving abilities. They perceive their driving abilities to be better than themselves at a younger age, their cohorts, and all other drivers. However, more work is needed to develop improved subjective assessments that guide drivers in more accurately estimating their true driving abilities, as well as to compare subjective ratings to objective performance-based measures of driving abilities.
This review may assist researchers in better understanding the characteristics that influence driving self-perception and may inform the development of interventional strategies that help older drivers to better calibrate how they perceive their driving.
