Older Drivers and Intersection Traffic Control Devices

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between accidents of elderly drivers and intersection traffic control devices. The data was analyzed in two stages, and the analyses were performed using the induced exposure method, in which the exposure to an accident is defined as the probability of being the driver not cited for the accident occurrence. First the conditions under which elderly drivers have higher accident involvement were determined and then statistical tests were conducted to compare these conditions to the accident involvement of other drivers. The results indicate that the accident involvement of elderly drivers is higher than that of the other drivers under certain circumstances. This study documented the fact that the elderly experience difficulty as the complexity of the design and traffic control device application increases. To reduce the accident rates of elderly drivers and improve safety measures that affect them, modifications of the licensing testing and procedures and implementation of driver training programs for the elderly are suggested.