Before the year 2000 the number of elderly drivers (65 years and older) in the Federal Republic of Germany will probably double. Concerns about traffic safety predominate-under the broadly accepted assumption that the elderly drive less cautiously. The most important results of driving tests of elderly drivers (and a comparison group of middle-aged) and their relation to performance measures are presented. The results show that the elderly drivers performed worse in laboratory tests, but in driving tests (in a significant number of different traffic situations) they did not differ unfavourably from the middle-aged drivers.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Elderly automobile drivers--a problem with a future?].

In the Federal Republic of Germany, the accident involvement of elderly drivers to date is low, corresponding to their low traffic participation. With a definite increase in the number of elderly drivers in the near future frequent adverse effects on traffic safety are expected. Particularly age changes in vision and reaction ability are considered to be important. Compared to a representative sample of different age groups, the elderly drivers themselves viewed an increasing number of elderly motorists far more positively. There is such a gap between the negative extraneous viewpoint and the elderly drivers' lack of self-criticism that a conflict between the generations affecting traffic safety will be produced.

Accidents, Traffic↗