Licensing Older and Younger Drivers
Also at the two-day human factors workshop,Traffic Safety Center Assistant Director Jill Cooper addressed issues surrounding licensing policies for drivers at either extreme of the age range, the youngest (those in their teens and early 20s), and the oldest, whose numbers are only going to increase as the Baby Boom enters its retirement years. The workshop was organized by California Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) at the request of Caltrans to introduce the agency's decisionmakers to some of the latest thinking in the discipline of human factors and driver behavior studies
"This is a big public health problem already," she said. These are the two populations that are growing the fastest in California, and Caltrans and other policy makers will do well to understand the implications of the procedures used to grant them licenses and the driving behaviors that are more pronounced in each group.
While many of the issues are human factors questions that would benefit from human factors approach, the research must be multidisciplinary. In teen traffic safety, for instance, there are developmental issues, simply in terms of the physical maturation of the central nervous system, social norms and education, Cooper noted.
"Already, the law is not in tune with developmental reality," she pointed out. The pre-frontal cortex of the brain, where executive functions (judgment and decision making) are carried out, does not reach full development until around 21, but drivers can receive their license at age 16.
She framed the discussion by examining recent experiences with graduated licensing for younger drivers, which is now in effect in California, how the goal is to match driving conditions to drivers' abilities. She discussed some of the lessons that could already be drawn from those experiences, but emphasized that much more needed to be known.
Key differences in behavior and capabilities of drivers in the two age extremes require that policies reflect that. For instance, the presence of young passengers in the car increases the chances that a teen driver will crash, and the risk rises with every additional young person along for the ride. By contrast, for older drivers, having a passenger makes the experience safer: the added person represents an extra set of eyes and ears.
Seat belts are another area where risks and gains diverge for the two groups. Younger drivers are statistically much more likely to fail to buckle up. While older drivers are more observant of seat belt laws, they are also more likely to be injured in a crash by the forces that restraints exert on their bodies, partly because their bones are naturally frailer, and partly because restraints tend to be designed to best serve younger persons with stronger builds. (The injuries would be more severe without seat belts, but seat belt use could be made less hazardous with re-designs.)
Graduated driver licensing (GDL) for teen drivers in California has shown results: night-time crashes have been significantly reduced, and there have been other gains. There are also some issues that still need to be examined more closely. Cooper noted that violations of GDL provisions are not put on young drivers' records, which may reduce incentives for compliance. Also the night-time driving restriction should be broader, an hour or two more at least, since this is the most dangerous time for young drivers. In January of 2006, the law extended the period during which they weren't allowed to drive back from midnight to 11 p.m., but evidence indicates it might be better to move it back still further, she said.
Cell phone restrictions targeted at teens might also help, she said. What's most needed, however, is to create a "traffic safety culture," which would involve parents, teachers and peers in promoting compliance with GDL provisions and overall safe driving and would require a sustained, public effort similar to what produced the awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving.
For older drivers, the roadway and vehicles could be re-engineered to make them easier to use. These changes would also benefit other drivers on the road, she noted.
The next step is to see how and if licensing policies can help improve the safety of older drivers. A pilot program is looking at a three-tier assessment for older drivers when their licenses are due to be renewed. More work is being done on specific policies addressing driver licensing. Cooper emphasized the importance of "continuing to plan for mobility in general, for a broad range of ages."
Link to Human Factors Workshop Web page: http://www.techtransfer.berkeley.edu/humanfactors/
Other link:
Clearing a Road to Driving Fitness BY BETTER
ASSESSING DRIVING WELLNESS-
DEVELOPMENT OF CALIFORNIA’S PROSPECTIVE
THREE-TIER DRIVING-CENTERED ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
SUMMARY REPORT
SEPTEMBER 2005
Authors: David F. Hennessy, PhD & Mary K. Janke, PhD
Research and Development Branch, California Department of Motor Vehicles Licensing Division.