Okonkwo Ozioma C, Crowe Michael, Wadley Virginia G, Ball Karlene
Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2008 Feb;20(1):162-73. doi: 10.1017/S104161020700539X. Epub 2007 Aug 13.
With the number of older drivers increasing, self-regulation of driving has been proposed as a viable means of balancing the autonomy of older adults against the sometimes competing demand of public safety. In this study, we investigate self-regulation of driving among a group of older adults with varying functional abilities.
Participants in the study comprised 1,543 drivers aged 75 years or older. They completed an objective measure of visual attention from which crash risk was estimated, and self-report measures of driving avoidance, driving exposure, physical functioning, general health status, and vision. Crash records were obtained from the State Department of Public Safety.
Overall, participants were most likely to avoid driving in bad weather followed by driving at night, driving on high traffic roads, driving in unfamiliar areas, and making left-hand turns across oncoming traffic. With the exception of driving at night, drivers at higher risk of crashes generally reported greater avoidance of these driving situations than lower risk drivers. However, across all driving situations a significant proportion of higher risk drivers did not restrict their driving. In general, self-regulation of driving did not result in reduced social engagement.
Some older drivers with visual attention impairments do not restrict their driving in difficult situations. There is a need for physicians and family members to discuss driving behaviors with older adults routinely to ensure their safety. The association between visual attention and driving restriction also has implications for interventions aimed at preserving mobility in the elderly.
随着老年驾驶员数量的增加，提出将自我驾驶调节作为一种可行的方法，以平衡老年人的自主性与有时相互冲突的公共安全需求。在本研究中，我们调查了一组功能能力各异的老年人的自我驾驶调节情况。
该研究的参与者包括1543名75岁及以上的驾驶员。他们完成了一项视觉注意力的客观测量，据此估计碰撞风险，并完成了关于驾驶回避、驾驶暴露、身体功能、总体健康状况和视力的自我报告测量。碰撞记录来自州公共安全部。
总体而言，参与者最有可能避免在恶劣天气下驾驶，其次是夜间驾驶、在交通繁忙的道路上驾驶、在不熟悉的区域驾驶以及在迎面有来车时左转弯。除夜间驾驶外，碰撞风险较高的驾驶员通常比风险较低的驾驶员报告更多地避免这些驾驶情况。然而，在所有驾驶情况下，相当一部分高风险驾驶员并未限制其驾驶。一般来说，自我驾驶调节并未导致社交参与度降低。
一些有视觉注意力障碍的老年驾驶员在困难情况下并不限制其驾驶。医生和家庭成员需要定期与老年人讨论驾驶行为，以确保他们的安全。视觉注意力与驾驶限制之间的关联也对旨在保持老年人行动能力的干预措施具有启示意义。
