Transcript Older Drivers, Travel and Later Life Learning

We Need to Talk
the role of family, friends and social networks in
helping older people give-up driving
Dr. Charles Musselwhite
Senior Lecturer in Traffic and Transport
Psychology,
Centre for Transport & Society
[email protected]
0117 32 83010
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To come…
• Context: drivers and safety
• Motivations to continue to drive
• Self-awareness and self-assessment
• Interventions to improve driver safety
• Voluntary and embedded
• Process of giving-up driving and quality of life
• Conclusion
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Context
3
Older people
as Car drivers
1. Growing % of licence holders
100
90
Male 60-69
80
Male 70+
70
60
Female 60-69
Female 70+
50
40
30
20
10
0
1975/76 (%)
1985/86 (%)
Av, Miles
driven per
person per year
by age in GB
1995/97
1998/00
2002
2005
2010
95-10 %
change
60-69
3106
3327
3767
4068
3925
26
70+
1103
1326
1562
1828
1767
60
All ages
3623
3725
3661
3682
3416
-6%
1995/97 (%)
2008 (%)
2. More miles driven per person
60
50
40
3. Growing % of journeys as driver
30
Car driver 60-69
car driver 70+
Car driver all (+17)
20
10
0
Source: DfT (2002, 2006, 2010)
2002
2006
2010
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Older drivers and safety
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Older drivers and safety
After Box, E., Mitchell., K. And Gandolfi, K (2010). Maintaining, Safe
Mobility for the Ageing. London: RAC Foundation Report.
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Accidents and older drivers
•
Older drivers are involved in collisions that generally occur in daylight, at
intersection and at low speeds (DfT, 2001; McGwin and Brown, 1999).
•
Less likely to be involved in single-vehicle collisions (DfT, 2001).
•
Have difficulty in making critical decisions under time pressure and dealing
with immense traffic conditions.
– overloaded with information when performing manoeuvres (Brendemuhl, Schmidt and
Schenk, 1988),
– merging onto roads (Schlag, 1993)
– junctions and intersections, especially those with no traffic control (e.g. traffic signals and
lights) and those that involve right hand turns (in the UK – i.e. across the oncoming traffic)
(Hakaimes-Blomqvist, 1988; Maycock, Lockwood and Lester, 1991; Presusser, Williams,
Ferguson, Ulmer and Weinstein, 1998).
– Research suggests inappropriate gap selection, high task complexity and distraction from
other road use as underlying factors that contribute to intersection and turning crashes
(Oxley, Fildes, Corben and Langford, 2006).
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Motivations to
continue to drive
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Mobility Deprivation
• Always driven – car based society
• Increasing level of services moving out of town centres and
residential zones
• Sense of control over environment
• Driving increases self-confidence, mastery and self-esteem
and feelings of autonomy,W-H
protection and prestige (Ellaway
et al, 2003)
• Giving up driving is associated with an increase in depressive
symptoms (Ra et al, 1997)
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Motivations for travel
• Especially by car
• A reduction in mobility can result
in an increase in isolation,
loneliness and depression and
an overall a poorer quality of life.
TERTIARY TRAVEL NEEDS
Aesthetic Needs
need for
travelthis
for level
it’s own
sake, is
to adversely
visit nature,
for
OnThe
giving-up
driving
of needs
affected
relaxation travel
Not so easy to ask for discretionary
SECONDARY TRAVEL NEEDS
Psychosocial Needs
Thegiving-up
need
for driving
independence,
status,
roles, normalness
W-H
On
this levelcontrol,
of needs
is adversely
affected
Isolation, no longer part of society, no longer feel normal
On giving-up driving –
this level of need is usually met
 friends
 accessible transport
 public transport
 teleshopping?
PRIMARY TRAVEL NEEDS
Practical Needs
Make appointments, access shops and services, work
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Source: Musselwhite, C. and Haddad, H. (2010b). Mobility, accessibility and quality of later life. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults. 11(1), 25-37.
Self-awareness
and assessment
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Assessing Driving Performance
•
Drivers already feel they are aware of their driving behaviour and adapt and compensate for
alterations caused by ageing
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
•
Experience
Drive slower
Drive with greater headway
Avoid motorways
Avoid merging
Avoid night time driving
Avoid busy times
“I don’t go out at night
no more, not with my
eyes the way they are”
“I hate any kind of
right hand turns! I
always go left, left and
left again!”
But almost all consider themselves to be better than average!
Almost all consider themselves better than when they were younger (Musselwhite and Haddad,
2010a)
•
Lack of noticing feedback (Musselwhite and Haddad, 2010a)
–
–
Different quieter cars
Physiology of just noticeable difference JND)
•
Welcome assessment and re-learning (Musselwhite and Haddad, 2010a)
•
Previous research suggests they are not good at self-assessment (Charlton et al. 2001; Cushman,
1996; Marattoli and Richardson, 1998), but maybe this can be altered through relfection-on-action
(Musselwhite and Haddad, 2007, 2010a)
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Interventions to improve driver safety
Embedded
Voluntary
(do not require
awareness)
(require awareness)
Infrastructure
In-vehicle technology
-for all drivers
- Lack of acceptance
-for all road users?
- Barrier to use
Musselwhite and Haddad (2010a)
Driving test
-No evidence it works
Driver awareness
course
Fit for purpose?
- Lack of evidence
Box et al. (2010)
Korner-Bitensky, et al. (2009)
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Improving awareness of the need
to self-assess driver performance
• Social environment
–
–
–
–
Social norms: Comparison to others
Societal norms: What should I be like at this lifestage?
The role of family and friends
How to improve?
• encourage discussion amongst family+friends
• mainstream media
• Event
– Retirement
– Health
– (Near)miss or accident
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Process of
giving-up
driving
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Giving-up driving
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The trigger is associated with “I can’t remember why I originally thought
external social events
of giving-up. I suppose it just came about.
Came about really from retirement, then
– retirement from work
your children live away from home. The time
– children leaving home
is right. I don’t really need to do it really.”
(female, aged 78)
Key, respected family
member
Could be taken less seriously if the
“wrong” family member said it!
Recognised Health
problem
“My daughter told me I had to give-up. It
came as a surprise she said that to me. Big
surprise. I hadn’t realised I’d got that bad.
Well, she said it with tears in her eyes, so I
think I thought she’s being really genuine
here” (Male, aged 78)
“My husband told me to give-up. He said I
wasn’t any good. But then he’s always said
that since I could drive at 21” (Female, aged
78)
4 diagnosed health condition “The doc gave his diagnosis, right, I agree
that I’m not as good as I used to be, but I’m
2 had keys taken by relatives not as bad as some of the youngsters on
the road. It’s not fair!” (Male, giving-up
17
driving at 78)”
Meticulous planning
–
Either don’t have family or
friends nearby or would feel a
burden
–
Other modes
–
Other locations
“I don’t have family near by to ask <for lifts> and I
don’t want to burden friends, so I had to...I had to
get the knowledge about the local transport”
(male, aged 80)
“Well I know G he’s a bit older and can’t walk. He’s
registered disabled. He got one of those mobility
scooters.... So I suppose I can see myself using that
if I am unable to walk.” (male, aged 80)
Social norms
Don’t gather much
information, at all
-Trail and error
-Rely on lifts
-Reciprocation discussed
They were not actively searching for
information
All had relied on friends and family to tell
them about walking and using public
transport.
Barrier for information gathering: not for
them
“I got to the bus stop and found when the buses
go. But it wasn’t easy. I didn’t know what to
expect” (male, aged 80) give-up. He said I wasn’t
any good. But then he’s always said that since I
could drive at 21” (Female, aged 78)
So <my daughter> takes me to the hospital and
on the way back we always stop for a meal or for
chips and I pay. Its’ my treat. And it’s a way of
saying thank you and possibly offering a
contribution to petrol and that” (female, aged 80)
“That’s the bus for old people who can’t drive. I
can. I don’t have a licence – that’s different. It’s
really for the really old. Those who really are ill
and disabled. I can’t use it. I’d be laughed off it.”
(male, aged 81)
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• Generally pleased
with outcome
• Good quality of life
Largely trial and error
Generally good quality
of life beyond the car,
characterised by
Supportive family and
friends
“I’ve re-discovered my local area. Which
is great. I forgot what the village has to
offer. In fact I think it is better than a few
years ago. But not using the car has
forced me to use more local things.”
(female, aged 75)
“The bus out is a real bit of fun. I go on it
with friends... and we have a day out”
(female, aged 70)
“It’s trial and error. I went once and it
was full of kids. So I tried the later one.
Then you know not to use the 8.45 from
here as it is full of kids. Mind you it’s
better in the holidays then it’s emptier
than the 9.45. But usually it’s the 9.45
yes” (female, aged 78)
Enjoying a challenge
Much worse quality of
life
Bitter and angry
“I don’t go to football no longer. I’d
need to change buses and can’t be
doing with the palaver” (male, aged 85)
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Conclusion
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Conclusion
•
Many interventions aimed at improving driver performance require driver
motivation to want to improve and to need to know they need to improve
– Role for family and friends crucial
•
Need to create awareness early on
– Amongst families, friends
– Amongst society
– But how? Use of wider media?
•
Maintain family support –
– Practical
– Emotional
•
•
•
Long term: information dominant
Short term: family central (stopped them being reactive?)
Reactive: dissatisfied objectors
•
Reciprocation is important
– Family and friends
– Independent Transport Network (ITN) America
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Provide practical and emotional
support
EMOTIONAL
Alternative transport
- Lifts
- Bus
- Community transport
Discretionary travel
Information
FAMILY
-Help appropriate givingup of driving
-help bring into
consciousness
-Practical
-Emotional
Affective elements
of giving-up driving
-Youthfulness
-Norms
-Independence
-Freedom
PRACTICAL
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Many thanks to my participants, to Hebba Haddad and Ian Shergold
my Researchers working with me on all of this, to Verity Smith and
Peter Lansley for interest and dedication on the SPARC project and
my current steering group.
Further reading:Box, E., Mitchell., K. And Gandolfi, K (2010). Maintaining, Safe
Mobility for the Ageing. London: RAC Foundation Report.
Korner-Bitensky, N., Kua, A., Zweck, C.V., & Benthem K.V (2009).
Older driver retraining: An updated systematic review of evidence
of effectiveness. Journal of Safety Research, 40, 105-111.
Musselwhite, C.B.A. (2010). The role of education and training in
helping older people to travel after the cessation of driving.
International Journal of Education and Ageing, 1(2), 197-212
Musselwhite, C.B.A. and Haddad, H. (2010a). Exploring older
drivers' perception of driving. European Journal of Ageing, 7(3), 181188.
Musselwhite, C. and Haddad, H. (2010b). Mobility, accessibility and
quality of later life. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, 11(1), 25-37.
Further information
Dr Charles Musselwhite
Senior Lecturer
Centre for Transport & Society
[email protected]
www.transport.uwe.ac.uk/staff/charles.asp
Musselwhite, C.B.A. and Shergold, I. (2011).Contemplation and
planning in successful driving cessation. Paper presented at the
British Gerontology Society Conference, Plymouth, July. (+submitted to
European Journal of Ageing- under review)
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