Reducing Older Driver Crashes: Technology, Training and Livable Communities

Romoser, Matthew R. E.; Fisher, Donald L.; Knodler, Michael A. · 2015 · ROSA P / New England University Transportation Center

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Summary

This study addresses the challenge of reducing crashes among older drivers by evaluating the efficacy of simulator-based training interventions. The research focuses on improving "secondary glances"—critical scanning behaviors that help drivers identify hazards—through the use of brief, micro-scenarios. The motivation stems from the need for efficient training methods that are shorter than existing 20-minute programs and less likely to induce simulator sickness, while still effectively transferring learned behaviors to real-world driving conditions. The methodology involved 91 licensed older drivers, aged 67 to 86, who were divided into five groups. The experimental design compared active simulator training against passive training and a control group. Active training utilized STISIM Drive® software to present micro-scenarios lasting 30 to 45 seconds. Immersion levels were varied: one group used a low-immersion setup (three 22-inch LCD monitors), while two groups used medium-immersion setups (one or three 60-inch screens). The passive group received training via a narrated PowerPoint presentation, and the control group received no training. After the training session, all participants underwent a field assessment where they drove their own vehicles for approximately 30 minutes to a familiar destination. Their driving behavior was recorded using head-mounted cameras to quantify the frequency of secondary glances. The results demonstrated that simulator training significantly improved scanning behavior compared to no training. The group receiving active training on a three-screen, medium-immersion simulator showed the highest performance, with secondary glances increasing to 82%. This was significantly higher than the passive PowerPoint group (69%) and the control group (42%). The low-immersion simulator group achieved a 74% glance rate, which was not statistically different from the passive group but significantly higher than the control. Notably, the one-screen medium-immersion group performed poorly (58%), showing no significant difference from the control group. The study also noted that the time gap between training and field evaluation was roughly three weeks, shorter than in prior research, yet the training effects remained robust. The significance of these findings lies in the validation of micro-scenarios as an effective training tool for older drivers. The study concludes that medium-immersion simulator training, particularly with three screens, is a highly effective method for increasing secondary glances, thereby potentially reducing crash risk. Furthermore, this approach mitigates simulator sickness compared to longer, more immersive sessions used in previous studies. The results suggest that brief, targeted simulator interventions can successfully transfer safety-critical behaviors to real-world driving, offering a practical solution for enhancing older driver safety without requiring extensive time commitments or high-end equipment.

Key finding

Active three-screen medium-immersion simulator training raised older drivers' field secondary-glance rate to 82 percent, versus 69 percent for passive PowerPoint training and 42 percent for untrained controls.

Methodology

simulator

Sample size: 91

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• older driver retraining
• simulator training transfer
• hazard perception training

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Methodological Resource: tool software, measurement protocol