Compensatory driving strategy of older people may increase driving risk

The researchers observed and timed older drivers as they executed a left turn at an intersection. Seventy drivers were timed over two 1-hour samples, once on a Saturday and once, a week later, on a Sunday. Because the researchers wanted natural behavior, they could not ask a driver's age nor could they stop the driver after the turn. Thus, the two raters estimated the driver's age, and when a disagreement occurred, a mutual consensus was reached. Three groups of drivers were arrived at: Young (under 25), Mature (35 to 55), and Older (over 65). Drivers estimated to be ages 26 to 34 and 56 to 64 were excluded from data analysis. This study confirms the simulation data indicating that older drivers have longer exposure to the high-risk situation of crossing three lanes of traffic when making a left hand turn compared with younger age groups.