Habits can be broken, of course, and the scientists attempted to do just that. They designed an experiment in which older drivers were filmed as they drove near their homes. One camera was mounted on the drivers' head to record approximate line of sight as they looked around, and three other cameras were mounted in the car to monitor driving behavior. After being recorded, the drivers underwent a training session. Some watched the recorded videos of themselves driving through intersections. They also spent time driving in a simulator, where the researchers evaluated them and offered feedback, after which they were allowed to practice proper scanning. Other drivers did not watch the video of themselves and instead got half an hour of instruction, including coaching about the hazards of intersections and how to deal with them. All of them (and a control group that got no instruction) were evaluated in the simulator and on the road afterward.

The results were dramatic. Those who had merely received instruction did no better than the control group in subsequent driving tests. That is, merely being told to be careful had no effect. The older drivers who had received the video feedback, however, were indistinguishable from younger, experienced drivers in negotiating intersections. What is more, these improvements lasted a full year after the training.

The training did not attempt to improve motor skills or attention in the older drivers. The fact that this remediation worked—and so dramatically—means the scanning deficiencies are unlikely to be rooted in basic deficits of aging. The more probable conclusion, according to the scientists, is that the older drivers simply unlearned a bad driving habit.

This conclusion is welcome news. By 2030 one in four American drivers will be 65 or older, and these aging drivers are predicted to be logging more miles on our roads and highways than ever before. Older motorists are holding on to their licenses longer and relying less on others to drive them. Training such as the program used in the study may not help those who are visually, mentally or physically impaired—the Mr. Magoos of the highway—but it could be a simple and inexpensive method for heading off a looming public health problem.

(Further Reading)

Identifying and Remediating Failures of Selective Attention in Older Drivers. Alexander Pollatsek, Matthew R. E. Romoser and Donald L. Fisher in Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol. 21, No. 1, pages 37; February 2012.

7 Comments

1. 1. JDoors 11:01 AM 6/25/12

   "For example, a driver might come to a stop sign at a T intersection, which would require yielding to a driver approaching from the left."
   
   I hope, for the sake of brevity, a few necessary details were left out of this scenario.

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2. 2. Cornelio at Zepponami 04:22 PM 6/25/12

   The photo in the heading of the article suggested to me a new research item. Science, please tell me why car drivers wearing hats or caps while driving are the worst of all? Tip: to get really significant results, concentrate on drivers who also smoke a cigar. I suggest rural Italy as the most promising field for the study.

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3. 3. Crasher in reply to Cornelio at Zepponami 05:28 PM 6/25/12

   Have to agree with the hat wearing drivers comment....not very scientific but seems to be a real phenomena!
   On a positive note, anything that can improve safety on the road has to be a good thing. This seems like a really simple method to improve older drivers and may work for younger drivers as well. I think anyone that sees their behaviour from a 3rd person perspective can gain some real insites to what they are doing.
   

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4. 4. Geopelia 07:52 AM 6/26/12

   This would be for American drivers who drive on the right.
   In New Zealand we drive on the left.
   They have recently changed our "right hand rule" and we have had to relearn what to do at intersections,and who gives way.
   It is now illegal here to use a hand held mobile phone, especially for texting, while driving. But people still do it.
   
   (I got my driving licence for a motorbike in 1948, and my car licence soon after.)

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5. 5. LarryW 11:42 AM 6/27/12

   Great article. No question older drivers have the problems described, but it is also the case the younger drivers do also. I notice this daily during my daily walks and drives. I would guess 50% of drivers are inattentive and are passively driving, especially when the car is not moving.
   
   My position is if you're behind the wheel, you are driving regardless of whether the vehicle is moving or not. My experience is that at least 50% of drivers who are stopped at a stop sign, or waiting for their turn to enter traffic simply face straight ahead or only to the left watching oncoming traffic. They are for the most part thoroughly unaware of bikes, pedestrians or any other aspects of the environment when the car is not moving. That is, most drivers assume no responsibility for driving as soon as the vehicle stops.
   
   My guess is older drivers were bad drivers long before they got old.

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6. 6. Wayne Williamson 06:41 PM 6/27/12

   I think this is a very interesting find...I thought of discussing it with my father(in his 80s) and it sounds like that doesn't work. Now I'm wondering how to get him to take the visual test described...if I can find it and if he agrees...

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7. 7. Joseph C Moore, Cpo USN Ret 07:43 PM 6/28/12

   Safe driving is a result of continual usage of awareness practices. This includes active monitoring of the traffic ahead, behind and to both sides and always looking for dangerous manuevering of those vehicles and where they can be avoided.
   Aggressive driving seems par for the course for many whom I suspect initiate the dangerous situation for elderly drivers with less than Le Mans reflexes. Of course, the increased traffic of today coupled with ingrained patterns of driving awareness from yesteryear will make for a dangerous mix in the saturated driving environment of today. Driving has to be a continuous appreciation of the changing conditions of today's traffic. Undoubtably an 80 year old's reflexes have slowed but awareness as a practiced habit should not.

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