Predictors of older drivers’ looking behaviour when negotiating intersections
Keywords: Older Drivers/Users
ACRS
Submission Date: 2015 Conference: ARSC
Abstract
The Driving Observation Schedule (eDOS) was developed for use in the Candrive/Ozcandrive five-year prospective study of older drivers to observe their driving behaviour. The aim of this study was to describe whether participants’ looking behaviour when turning at intersections during the eDOS driving task was related to factors such as age, cognitive ability and complexity of the driving environment. One hundred and fifty-five Ozcandrive participants (Male: 71.4%; Age: M = 80.86 years, SD = 3.60 years) completed a cognitive and functional ability assessment from the Year 2 Candrive/Ozcandrive protocol, as well as the eDOS driving task that commenced from the participant’s home and was conducted in their own vehicle on roads familiar to and chosen by them. Observations of participants’ looking and driving behaviours during the eDOS driving task were captured from two cameras that were installed in participants’ vehicle, which provided images of the driver and the forward road scene. For each turn at a four-way or T-intersection (n=981), participants’ looking behaviour was coded as appropriate (e.g. left, right, ahead) or inappropriate using video recordings that were retrospectively reviewed by an observer. Other variables related to the complexity of driving environment were also coded. At 58 percent of the intersections, participants showed appropriate looking behaviour. Generalized estimating equations revealed that looking behaviour was significantly more appropriate at non-signalised intersections, when traffic volume was low and marginally significant more appropriate when turning right.