Age-related differences in correction behavior for unintended acceleration.

Hasegawa, Kunihiro; Kimura, Motohiro; Takeda, Yuji · 2020 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236053

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates age-related differences in the ability to detect and correct unintended acceleration, a manipulation error that contributes significantly to fatal traffic accidents, particularly among older drivers. The research was motivated by data indicating that while overall fatal accident rates are similar between younger and older drivers, the proportion of fatal accidents caused specifically by unintended acceleration is substantially higher for older adults. The authors hypothesized that older adults possess reduced abilities to detect pedal misapplication and execute corrective actions, leading to more severe outcomes. To test this, the researchers recruited 80 licensed drivers: 40 younger adults (mean age 21.90 years) and 40 older adults (mean age 71.35 years). All participants were neuropsychologically healthy, scoring above 24 on the Mini-Mental State Examination and achieving perfect scores on the Clock Drawing Test. Participants performed a simulated pedal-stepping task using a racing game controller and a visual display simulating optic flow at 30 km/h. In 90% of trials (decelerating condition), stepping on the center pedal acted as a brake. In 10% of trials (accelerating condition), stepping on the center pedal caused sudden acceleration, requiring participants to release the pedal and quickly step on the left pedal to brake. The study measured reaction latencies across three distinct periods: Period 1 (signal appearance to initial pedal press), Period 2 (initial pedal press to release), and Period 3 (pedal release to re-stepping on the correct pedal). The results revealed no significant age-related difference in Period 1 latencies, indicating that basic visual perception and simple physical reactions remained intact in older adults. However, older adults exhibited significantly longer latencies in both Period 2 and Period 3. Specifically, the time required to detect the error and release the incorrect pedal (Period 2) was longer for older adults, as was the time to execute the corrective action by stepping on the alternative pedal (Period 3). Statistical analysis showed that the age-related delay was significantly larger in Period 3 than in Period 2, with older adults taking approximately 566.9 ms longer than younger adults to complete the corrective step. This suggests that the decline in performance is driven more by difficulties in executing the complex correction than by the initial detection of the error. The findings imply that the higher severity of accidents involving older drivers is linked to age-related declines in error detection and, more critically, in the execution of corrective maneuvers. The authors suggest that the prolonged latency in Period 3 may result from cognitive deficits in switching tasks or inhibitory control, as well as physical slowing in shifting the foot. These results highlight that even neurologically healthy older adults struggle with the complex motor-cognitive demands of correcting unintended acceleration, providing evidence for the need for targeted interventions or vehicle safety features that assist older drivers in such scenarios.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-25; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• pedal misapplication