14 DAY TRIAL // A new study concluded that instead of simply being taken off the road, older drivers could benefit from training programs that puts them behind the wheel – in a driving simulator, with an observer who helps them improve their skills.
It is a known fact that older people are at much higher risk of car crashes than younger drivers, and this is why some states and provinces test older drivers, hoping to identify those that represent a major risk on the road.
But, according to Normand Teasdale of Université Laval in Québec, who co-wrote the study with Pierre-Luc Gamache, Carol Hudon, and Martin Simoneau, these tests are completely inadequate.
Teasdale and his colleagues believe that much better approach is to help older adults improve their driving skills, and a very efficient way of doing so is through driving simulators and appropriate feedback.
They carried out several experiments, of course, and concluded that coaching really helps older drivers improve.
One experiment consisted in having older adults tested on the road, then coached in a driving simulator, where “we actually walk them through their errors by showing them their own response,” explained Teasdale.
Then the drivers were tested again on the road, with no coaching, and their driving improved.
“After the training, they really were aware of why they were making errors and what not to do,” said the researcher.
The problem with currently used tests is that in some states, only vision gets tested, while in others cognition tests and even on-the-road tests are also required.
But it seems that none of these tests is good enough, because they all lack accuracy, sensitivity and specificity.
To be able to drive correctly, you don't just need to see, hear and think about what's happening around you, you also must be able to take the right actions at the right time – like step on the brake pedal when seeing a red light and not confuse it with the accelerator pedal instead (a very common mistake).
Teasdale says that the elderly should be able to take advantage of driving the same way they do with golf or tennis.
“Elderly people, if they want, can pick up the phone and they'll have a golf pro or a tennis pro that will gladly help them for as many hours as they want, on the same day.”
The problem with the available services today is that they basically test older people and tell them if they can't drive anymore, “so I fully understand why older individuals are reluctant to get into this,”said Teasdale.
The researchers hope that coaching and driving simulators will be made available to older drivers who are worried about their safety on the road, and that these methods will allow them to drive for some time longer, without compromising traffic safety.
This research was presented in a new article published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Watch two driving simulator videos: