ELDERLY DRIVERS AND SAFETY WHEN USING IT SYSTEMS

There are increasing numbers of elderly drivers in developed countries the great majority of whom are unfamiliar with the use of in-car information technology (IT) systems. Some systems, provided they are appropriately designed, may be of real benefit in extending older people's driving life, but there are concerns about the effects of these systems on road traffic safety. This paper reports the results of some of the trials carried out under the EDDIT (Elderly and Disabled Drivers Information Telematics) project in the European Commission's DRIVE 2 program. EDDIT tested a range of in-car systems including route guidance, reversing aids, night vision enhancement and collision avoidance/gap acceptance and also evaluated two more generic issues of head-up versus on-dashboard display of information and the effects of changes in size and complexity of information. The probable effects of the use of these systems on driving behaviour of older motorists vary; some systems were found likely to encourage elderly drivers to drive more or to drive to new, unfamiliar places. Other systems would apparently have a negligible effect on this kind of behaviour. Direct effects on safety of driving, in most cases, were not found to be of great consequence, except in the case of night vision enhancement, where there could be significant safety benefits. This study concludes that elderly drivers show a high degree of readiness to consider the use of IT where they perceive it to be of real benefit; they are not resistant to new technology provided that the design is appropriate to their needs.