School of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Age Ageing. 2011 Jan;40(1):62-6. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afq154. Epub 2010 Nov 17.
driving anxiety and fear can have a marked impact on mobility and independence, although there is no data on the prevalence of this problem, and specific information about the rate of driving anxiety and fear in older adults is unknown.
the present study examines the prevalence of self-reported driving anxiety and fear in a sample of 2,491 adults aged 55-72 from a longitudinal survey of health and ageing in New Zealand.
most of the sample (90%) described themselves as drivers who drove daily or weekly. Around 70% of the sample reported no driving anxiety or fear, yet 17-20% endorsed a mild and 4-6% rated a moderate to severe level of driving anxiety and fear. Women reported higher levels of anxiety and fear about driving than men, but there were no age differences. Those who reported some level of driving anxiety engaged various alternative modes of transport, and a small number (2.4%) reported that their driving anxiety had affected their usual activities or work for at least a day in the previous month. Duration of driving anxiety was highly variable, from relatively recent onset to being present for much of some participants' lifetimes.
driving anxiety and fear may be a significant problem for some young older adults that is likely to affect their independence and mobility. Further research to clarify the content and nature of driving anxiety, pathways to driving anxiety and the effect of factors associated with ageing on driving anxiety is needed in order to better understand this experience for older adults and develop effective interventions.
驾驶焦虑和恐惧会对行动和独立性产生显著影响，尽管目前尚无该问题的流行率数据，也不了解老年人中驾驶焦虑和恐惧的具体发生率。
本研究通过对来自新西兰健康与老龄化纵向调查的 2491 名 55-72 岁成年人样本进行研究，考察了自述驾驶焦虑和恐惧的流行率。
大多数样本（90%）自述为每天或每周开车的驾驶员。约 70%的样本报告没有驾驶焦虑或恐惧，但 17-20%的样本报告有轻度焦虑，4-6%的样本报告有中度至重度焦虑。女性报告的驾驶焦虑和恐惧水平高于男性，但无年龄差异。报告存在某种程度驾驶焦虑的人会选择各种替代交通方式，少数人（2.4%）报告称，过去一个月中，他们的驾驶焦虑至少有一天影响了他们的日常活动或工作。驾驶焦虑的持续时间差异很大，从最近开始到一些参与者的大部分生命中都存在。
驾驶焦虑和恐惧可能是一些年轻老年人的一个严重问题，这可能会影响他们的独立性和行动能力。为了更好地了解老年人的这种体验并制定有效的干预措施，需要进一步研究以明确驾驶焦虑的内容和性质、导致驾驶焦虑的途径，以及与衰老相关的因素对驾驶焦虑的影响。
