Transportation Library News

Older Drivers: NHTSA Studies Safety Issues

NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at the U.S. Dept.
of Transportation, recognized that the elderly segment of the population is rapidly aging, and will continue to do so. In response to the trend, NHTSA has issued a report titled Occupant Protection Issues Among Older Drivers and Passengers. The first phase of the report summarizes the extensive body of research published about older drivers, and the second summarizes the results of a focus group on elderly attitudes towards seat belt use.
The third, and most interesting phase, was a observational study of human factors in seat belt use for older occupants. Sharon Levi and Doreen M. De Leonardis of WESTAT in Rockville, Maryland had fifty-four adults rate six different seat belt systems on comfort, convenience, and likelihood of use, as well as collecting other human factors data. Older drivers, interestingly, preferred seat belt systems in compact and full-size
vehicles: the seat belts in these vehicles were easier to locate and use.
Mid-size two-door vehicles rated very poorly: seat belt systems in these vehicles are farther behind the seat, and older drivers found them difficult to locate and use. The observational study also revealed that overweight and smaller stature older adults had lower seat belt usage and found them uncomfortable.
This report, as well as a large wealth of resources on older drivers, can be found under the "Older Drivers" section of the NHTSA website.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/