This paper was presented at the `Community traffic solutions for the future' session. The majority of current geometric and traffic control design standards are based on design principles, vehicle characteristics and human physiological attributes that originate from the 1960s. During the past 30 years significant changes have occurred in the vehicle characteristics and fleet composition. Significant changes have also occurred in the composition of the driver population to include an increasingly larger proportion of older drivers, whose physical characteristics differe from those of the test populations used to set the design standards back in the 1960s. Studies indicate that older drivers differ from middle-aged and younger drivers in terms of the type and amount of driving they do, as well as characteristics of the accidents in which older drivers are more likely to be involved. This paper reviews the physiological characteristics of the older driver that are thought to contribute to motor-vehicle accidents, and to intersections accidents in particular. The expected growth in the proportion of drivers having these characteristics may warrant changes to current design standards and/or management policies. Recognising that changes in design standards and management policies may have both positive and negative effects on overall traffic flow characteristics, a method for modelling proposed changes in design and control standards for the purpose of traffic management is discussed. (A)
Samenvatting