The challenge of safe driving among elderly drivers
- Author(s): Gila Albert 1 ; Tsippy Lotan 2 ; Penina Weiss 3 ; Yoram Shiftan 4
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View affiliations
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Affiliations:
1:
Faculty of Management of Technology , HIT – Holon Institute of Technology , Holon , Israel ;
2: Or Yarok Association for Safer Driving in Israel , Israel ;
3: Rabin Medical Center , Beilinson Campus , Israel ;
4: Transportation Research Institute, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology , Israel
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Affiliations:
1:
Faculty of Management of Technology , HIT – Holon Institute of Technology , Holon , Israel ;
- Source:
Volume 5, Issue 1,
February
2018,
p.
45 – 48
DOI: 10.1049/htl.2017.0002 , Online ISSN 2053-3713
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The challenge of ageing has two key aspects with regard to driving: mobility and safety. It is necessary for elderly adults to preserve independent mobility and activity; however, physical frailty and cognitive limitations have negative effects on their safety. Therefore, the issue of driving, and more specifically, the fostering of safe driving of old people, is crucial, especially due the increasing number of elderly people holding a driving license. The purpose of this Letter is to point out the complexity of elderly driving and to suggest countermeasures by acknowledging that obtaining the correct balance between safety and mobility of older drivers is a complicated and sensitive task. To address this issue, the authors suggest accommodating their driving behaviour and patterns, in light of the deteriorating driving skills, by integrating social and policy procedures and use of emerging technologies. Policy steps to support elderly drivers and their loved ones by gradually controlling driving of elderly population when this becomes risky to them may serve as a desired countermeasure according to a proved tool such as technology. Utilisation of advanced technologies can help to monitor travel and driver behaviour and ability to make the necessary alterations, based on elderly driving skills.
Inspec keywords: road safety; geriatrics
Other keywords: cognitive limitation; physical frailty; elderly driver; elderly people; elderly driving skill; drive safety
Subjects: Biomedical engineering
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