Development of safe-driving-system features for elderly drivers

Abstract

As the overall population ages, elderly drivers will become a larger percentage of the driving population. However, drivingrelated accidents and injuries associated with elderly drivers are also on the rise. To determine the causes of this trend, we researched existing vehicle systems that use different sensors and signals to promote safe driving. We found that although the systems alert drivers to potential collisions and assist them in finding a location easily, they were not practical enough to protect elderly drivers. For the most part, they were not created by people with driving difficulties caused by health problems, which in turn often afflict the elderly. To address this issue, we analysed the drawbacks of the current systems and used a focus group of people with body conditions that have declined due to age to discover the problems they encounter while driving. With the focus group, we used diverse research activities, such as surveys, observations, and interviews, to demonstrate how new system features (concepts) could be developed for the elderly. Finally, we proposed that adequate system features for the elderly would improve driving safety and provide a more enjoyable driving environment for this population.

A Weighted QFD-Based Usability Evaluation Method for Elderly in Smart Cars

“…Given that usability is an important factor that determines the quality of the system (Hartson et al, 1998;Ji et al, 2010;Jokela et al, 2003), it is essential to develop the usability evaluation guidelines of elderly drivers regarding this new computing system environment-a smart car (Pfleging et al, 2012). As preceding research has noted, elderly drivers have their own particular physical and cognitive difficulties (Fisk, et al, 2012;Jung & Qin, 2014). From this point of view, this study aims to analyze the physical and cognitive attributes of elderly drivers and to develop the usability guideline that includes appropriate weighting criteria.…”

“…Elderly drivers' accidents are mainly caused by the health problems of the elderly (Jung & Qin, 2014). Especially in the case of smart cars equipped with various digital technologies, cars have become interactive spaces, and elderly drivers are expected to perform more secondary tasks (Schmidt, et al, 2010), so it is hard for drivers to concentrate on driving-related tasks.…”

“…Especially in the case of smart cars equipped with various digital technologies, cars have become interactive spaces, and elderly drivers are expected to perform more secondary tasks (Schmidt, et al, 2010), so it is hard for drivers to concentrate on driving-related tasks. From this point of view, many studies have analyzed the physical and cognitive features of elderly drivers through user studies (Joanisse, Gagnon, & Voloaca, 2013;Jung & Qin, 2014;S. Kim et al, 2011;May, Ross, & Osman, 2005).…”

“…Pointing out that the driving difficulties causing elderly people's car accidents result from health problems, Jung and Qin (2014) investigated health-related issues such as eyesight, hearing, reflexes, and the memory of elderly drivers. The authors analyzed safety-related systems in cars concerning these physical and cognitive features of elderly drivers, and they suggested an in-car safety-related system development methodology for elderly drivers.…”