Citation

Porter MM, Whitton MJ. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 2002; 57(9): M578-82.

Affiliation

Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation Studies, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. portermm@ms.umanitoba.ca

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Gerontological Society of America)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12196494

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Driving is a complex task that is difficult to fully characterize objectively or in a blinded fashion. The main objective of this study was to determine the usefulness of the global positioning system (GPS) and video technology for examining age-related differences in driving. In this study, GPS was used to determine the position, velocity, and acceleration of a vehicle, driven by subjects of different ages, while video footage was used to provide a detailed context of the drive. METHODS: Twenty-four subjects who were young (20 to 29; n = 6), middle-aged (30 to 64; n = 8), and older (65 years of age and older; n = 10) drove their own vehicles on a 30-km route of various types of roads, with a GPS receiver and video camera recording. RESULTS: The combination of GPS and video data allowed for the determination of many age-related driving differences. The young subjects drove faster, had a shorter deceleration distance and time, as well as a shorter acceleration time. Young subjects also had a substantially higher number of infraction demerit points primarily due to speeding, not stopping fully at stop signs, and following too closely. Although the older subjects had a smaller number of demerit points assessed, they tended to make different types of errors than the young subjects, including not stopping at all at a stop sign and turning errors. CONCLUSIONS: GPS and video technology offer new opportunities for the assessment of age-related driving performance.

Language: en