Researchers said Monday that they can predict with great accuracy which older drivers are most likely to have crashes and have even found a way to reduce dangers posed by risky drivers.
As people age, they become at greater risk of having an inadequate field of view for safe driving, said Karlene Ball, a psychologist at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
“Among people 55 years old, about 5 percent would be classed at risk,” she said. “For drivers 85 and older, about 50 percent are at risk.”
The researchers asked 240 drivers over the age of 50 to watch a giant-size computer screen where images of cars and trucks were flashed at various points for fractions of a second.
The drivers identified each image as quickly as possible and their scores were used to classify driving ability.
Among the 120 classed as being at high risk for having a crash, 74 percent were involved in some kind of auto accident in the three years following the evaluation, said Ball.
“Most of these were multicar crashes, and they included one fatality.”
Among the 120 drivers classed at low risk, only 3 percent had auto crashes in the same three-year period.
The good news, said Ball, is that researchers have found they can use the same computer system to train risky drivers to become more alert.
After five to 10 lessons, drivers reduced their hazardous maneuvers by half, said Ball.
Other studies using a driving simulator at the University of Iowa suggest that people who improve their field of view while working with computers and practicing on driving simulators also improve their driving in the real world, she said.
Insurance companies are watching the research and may offer discounted rates to older drivers who can show through testing that they are at low risk of getting into automobile accidents, Ball said.
Highway designers also are monitoring the research to suggest ways of making intersections safer, she said.
