By investigations on risky situations in older people’s everyday travelling it is possible to minimize their suffering and death rates from road accidents. Older people will in the future, to a larger proportion than today have a driving license and access to a car, especially older women will be car drivers to a larger proportion than today and they will probably use their car as long as possible. At the same time, recent years’ accident figures have shown an increased risk in road traffic for older people. The patterns of accidents vary between different groups of older people and also between older drivers and drivers from other age groups. The present project identifies hazardous situations for older drivers and analyses older drivers’ accident involvement and visual behaviour in complex traffic situations. Typical and atypical older driver accidents are identified. Three main methods have been used: 1) a thorough accident analysis of police reported accidents in Norway, 2) a literature study on existing research on older drivers’ behaviour (i.e. cognitive aspects on car driving) and accident involvement, and 3) experimental studies comprising visual and perception tests accomplished in Norway and Sweden and a field study on the road, accomplished in Sweden. In the experimental study and in the field study it was found significantly more individual differences among the older than among the younger drivers in the samples from Norway and Sweden. From in depth analyses of fatal crashes in Norway during the years 2005-2007 it was found that tiredness was the most often suspected cause of the accident among the group aged 35-55 years (28 %) and the second most often suspected cause in the group aged 75+ (19 %). Illness could be the cause of the accident twice as often among the older drivers (28 %) as in the younger control group (14 %). Concerning suicide, the situation could be the reverse with more deliberate actions among the younger (11 %) compared to the older drivers (6 %). The definition of older people as a problem (e.g. risky car drivers), and as a homogeneous group based on chronological age, may obscure the differences between groups and individuals based on variations in health, gender, ethnicity, living or economy. There is nothing in the results that supports age based limitations for renewal of driving license for otherwise healthy older people. Instead the study strengthens arguments for further research and refining of methods for identifying hazardous behaviour in complex situations, i.e. testing of drivers in complex situations; behaviour due to temporary illness or tiredness; and in depth studies of drivers’ perspectives, experiences and strategies to avoid road accidents. Furthermore research on intelligent technical systems (e.g. information access, and recommended route and speed) plus other adaptive systems in the vehicles that support older car drivers, are suggested. Also, how the ageing drivers give priority to and afford new technological solutions. (Author/publisher)
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