Self-perceptions and Current Practices of High-risk Older Drivers: Implications for Driver Safety Interventions

Abstract

Many older drivers with visual problems meet the legal requirements for licensing despite having functional impairments that elevate crash risk. In a sample of visually impaired older drivers, over half believed that their vision was not likely to cause them to crash. Eighty percent acknowledged that they would feel more protected against crashing if they avoided certain driving situations. However, 75 percent of the sample reported never or rarely avoiding such situations (e.g. left turns, interstate highways). Almost 70 percent of drivers reported high self-efficacy in their ability to self-regulate and use alternative strategies. These data imply that behavioral interventions promoting compensatory strategies of self-regulation may be useful in maintaining mobility while improving the safety of high-risk older drivers. These findings serve as baseline for our ongoing study evaluating whether an educational intervention will increase self-regulation and improve older driver safety.