Taxonomy of Older Driver Behaviors and Crash Risk: With Appendices A and B

Staplin, Loren; Lococo, Kathy H.; Martell, Carol; Stutts, Jane · 2012 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This 2012 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) addresses the increasing safety concerns associated with the aging driver population. The primary objective was to identify risky behaviors, driving habits, and exposure patterns that elevate crash risk for older drivers and classify these factors according to underlying functional deficits resulting from normal aging, medical conditions, or medication use. A secondary goal was to evaluate behavioral countermeasures capable of mitigating these deficits or reducing risky behaviors. The study aimed to synthesize existing knowledge to assist researchers, healthcare practitioners, and policymakers in identifying specific risk factors and effective interventions. The research employed a multi-method approach involving database analysis, literature review, expert panel consultation, and driver interviews. First, the authors analyzed national crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the General Estimates System (GES) for the period 2002–2006. They utilized descriptive analyses and an "induced exposure" technique to calculate crash involvement ratios, allowing them to control for differences in driving exposure across age groups. This analysis identified five crash types where older drivers were most strongly overrepresented: left turns at stop-sign-controlled intersections, left turns at signal-controlled intersections during permissive phases, right turns at yield-sign-controlled channelized lanes, merging onto limited-access highways, and lane changes on multilane roadways. Second, a comprehensive literature review summarized age-related functional impairments and existing countermeasures. Third, an expert panel of researchers and clinicians reviewed preliminary findings and rated the likely effectiveness of various countermeasures. Finally, unstructured interviews were conducted with 50 older drivers in Maryland, split evenly between those who had crashed within the previous three years and a crash-free control group. The findings revealed that crash risk increases significantly for drivers aged 70 and older, with the highest over-representation in intersection-related crashes. Failure to yield was the most frequently cited contributing factor, with prevalence rising from 39% for drivers aged 60–69 to 62% for those aged 80+. The study developed a taxonomy table linking specific crash types to critical performance errors, which were then linked to sensory, cognitive, and physical deficits. For instance, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and speed of processing were identified as key functional areas. The driver interviews indicated that while older drivers often attempt to compensate for known impairments, many remain unaware of how functional aging affects their driving performance. Notably, no clear differences in countermeasure usage or awareness of difficulties emerged between crash-involved and crash-free drivers. The expert panel concluded that effective countermeasures for functional deficits have broad potential for crash reduction, as most performance errors can lead to various crash types. The significance of this work lies in its provision of a structured resource—the taxonomy table—that maps the relationships between functional deficits, performance errors, and countermeasures. The study concludes that self-awareness is critical for the application of most behavioral strategies, suggesting that educational interventions could improve safety by increasing drivers' understanding of their limitations. Furthermore, the authors warn that interventions relying on specific competence improvements carry significant risk if cognition is not intact, emphasizing the need for professional supervision in prescribing countermeasures. The report highlights the necessity for future research to integrate function, exposure, and safety data to better evaluate countermeasure effectiveness and define the boundaries of responsible intervention for older drivers.

Key finding

All but two of nine critical driver performance errors identified in the study could result in any of the major crash types for older drivers, indicating that countermeasures for functional deficits have broad potential for crash reduction rather than being specific to particular crash types.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 50

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. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

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

Topics

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

• older driver retraining
• older drivers
• novice drivers
• mci dementia driving
• cognitive impairment
• age related perceptual decline

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence
• Theoretical Contribution: computational model