Speeding and Speed Modification of Older Drivers: Does Vehicle Type Make a Difference?

Abstract

RÉSUMÉLe but de cette étude était d’examiner si le type de véhicule, catégorisé en fonction de la taille (voiture vs autre : camion, fourgonnette, véhicule utilitaire sport), avait une influence sur la propension à faire des excès de vitesse, sur l’accélération et les habitudes de freinage des conducteurs et conductrices plus âgés (70 ans et plus), dans le cadre d’une étude longitudinale canadienne. L’hypothèse principale était que les personnes âgées conduisant de plus gros véhicules (p. ex. camions, VUS ou fourgonnettes) seraient plus susceptibles de faire des excès de vitesse que celles conduisant des voitures. Un dispositif enregistrant la conduite avait été installé dans les véhicules des participants (n = 493). Les résultats suggèrent que le type de véhicule conduit a eu peu ou pas d’impact sur le pourcentage de temps passé en excès de vitesse, ou sur les schémas de freinage et d’accélération des conducteurs âgés. Étant donné que la propension à dépasser la limite de vitesse était élevée chez ces conducteurs âgés, quel que soit le type de véhicule, les recherches futures devraient examiner l’effet de ce comportement sur la sécurité routière des conducteurs âgés.

Examining drivers’ socio-demographic variables and perceptions towards sanction mechanisms on speeding behaviour on highways: targeting appropriate prevention

“…The hierarchical regression result revealed that age contributed significantly to speeding behaviour in step two. Younger drivers were more prone to speeding, confirming the prior studies (Chevalier et al., 2017; Breen et al., 2020; Cull et al., 2020) in driving context. In the third step, perception towards traffic accident, legal sanction, and material loss were the main predictors.…”

“…Particularly, older drivers were found to be more concerned about social and legal sanctions as well as material loss. This finding could explain the growing body of literature in the road safety field (Hatfield and Job, 2006; Hatfield and Fernandes, 2009; Møller and Haustein, 2014; Chevalier et al., 2017; Breen et al., 2020; Cull et al., 2020) reporting that younger drivers tend to commit speeding and driving violations more than older drivers, due to their different perceptions towards the deterrent mechanisms. Furthermore, married drivers who live with their spouse and have children also showed higher perception towards social and legal sanctions as well as material loss compared with their single counterparts.…”

The Impact of Cognition and Gender on Speeding Behaviour in Older Drivers with and without Suspected Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…This finding was different to previous research by Cull et al where all 493 drivers in the study, aged 70+ years, exceeded the posted speed limit during the 25-day study period, although cognitive status was not assessed. 22 Another study found that 78% of drivers aged 75+ years were involved in speeding events over a 12-month monitoring period. 16 However, both of these studies collected driving data over a longer monitoring period and used a different operational definition of speeding, which may explain the different results.…”

“…Our study also found that the majority of these speeding events were carried out by males (83%) on roads with a speed limit of 60km/h or 70km/h and is consistent with previous research. 22 , 23 , 40 While the relatively low rates of speeding are reassuring, they are occurring mainly on average suburban streets (mostly on 50km-70km/h roads) rather than on freeways or highways, which may present a risk to pedestrians and cyclists. It is well-known that in the event of a crash, a higher speed will increase the severity of a crash and increase the likelihood of a severe injury or death especially for vulnerable road users, 41 , 42 as well as older drivers.…”

“… 46 The study also found that increasing age was associated with a lower rate of speeding events in older male drivers and is consistent with previous naturalistic driving studies. 16 , 17 , 22 , 47 It is well known that driving at reduced speeds can compensate for slower reflexes and reaction times, which often accompany older age. 5 , 6 …”