Travel and well-being. Travel independence and car dependence: An exploration older drivers travel and driving needs Charles Musselwhite Senior Lecturer in Traffic and Transport Psychology, Centre for Transport & Society [email protected]0117 32 83010
42
Embed
Charles Musselwhite Senior Lecturer in Traffic and Transport Psychology,
Travel and well-being. Travel independence and car dependence: An exploration older drivers travel and driving needs. Charles Musselwhite Senior Lecturer in Traffic and Transport Psychology, Centre for Transport & Society [email protected] 0117 32 83010. Summary. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Travel and well-being. Travel independence and
car dependence: An exploration older drivers travel and
driving needs
Charles MusselwhiteSenior Lecturer in Traffic and Transport Psychology,
The need for relaxation, visit nature, test cognitive skills
BiophiliaThe (innate) need to be with nature
Escapism and RelaxationThe need to get away from it all
Test skillsSatisfaction for “good driving”
“Until I moved into my (retirement) flat, I loved looking at my garden, how it changes throughout the seasons. With my car, at least, I can still visit parks and the forest regularly to watch them change”
The need for relaxation, visit nature, test cognitive skills
On giving up driving this level of need is adversely affected
“You can’t ask other people to take you out for “a
drive”. They’d think you’d lost their senses. Anyway
they have got better things to be doing with their time, then ferrying me about just
for the sake, like”(female, gave-up driving at
80)
“The bus doesn’t really go where you would want. The route isn’t
pretty. It just does the houses and the shops. The
views are ordinary”
(female, gave-up driving at 80)
DRIVING
Background: How Safe are Older Drivers?
• Older drivers are the safest drivers but…
• Taking into account miles driven, there is a slight increase for over 60s age group, which increases for 70+ age group and again for over 80s age group
• Distractions
• Junctions
Reasons for Increase in Accidents
• Physiological - eye-sight and hearing problems, restricted physical mobility
• Cognitive - working memory problems, decrease in information processing capacity decision making under pressure
• Psychological - Lack of confidence, anxiety, social norms, stereotypes,
labelling
Giving-up driving
• Drivers give up driving on average at 72 years of age
• Variety of reasons (voluntary and non-voluntary!)– Health – Scared themselves– Family/friends advice– Worried about ability
EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONSEXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS
MAINTAINNG A CONSTANT SPEEDMAINTAINNG A CONSTANT SPEED
TIREDNESSTIREDNESS
REACTIONSREACTIONS
GLARE AND LUMINANCEGLARE AND LUMINANCE
Driver Needs
HelpHelpW
anted
Wanted
Compensatory
Compensatory
Behaviour
Behaviour
THE FUTURE -
REDUCING THE NEGATIVE AFFECT OF MOBILITY DEPRIVATION
Pleasantness of neighbourhood open spaces (trees, plants, waterscapes)
Most awareness
Least awareness
Infrastructure meeting needs
Improving Infrastructure for Drivers
• More appropriate use of signs– Placement– Content– Amount
• Use older people in design of signage
• Replace current codes
• Better road materials• Better lighting
• Involve older people in design
EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONSEXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS
GLARE AND LUMINANCEGLARE AND LUMINANCE
THE FUTURE -
IMPROVING INFORMATION ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE
Improving information
Leaflet
Helpline– Real-time information– Personal travel information
Web-based– Browse in own time– Ability to control information
Information on the environs- improvements need communicating
After Marshall (2007)
Information on the environs- improvements need communicating
After Marshall (2007)
THE FUTURE -
IN-VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES
Dashboard sign display (with user prioritisation)Dashboard sign display (with user prioritisation)
Head-up sign display (with user prioritisation)Head-up sign display (with user prioritisation)
Head-up display of current vehicle speedHead-up display of current vehicle speedAudible speed cue (driving speed)Audible speed cue (driving speed)Audible warning when reach actual Audible warning when reach actual speed limitspeed limitIntelligent Speed AdaptationIntelligent Speed Adaptation
GLARE AND LUMINANCEGLARE AND LUMINANCE
Night vision enhancementNight vision enhancementHead-up displayDashboard display
EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONSEXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS
MAINTAINING A CONSTANT SPEEDMAINTAINING A CONSTANT SPEED
• Research (Musselwhite & Haddad, 2007)– Continuous meetings, diary, interview
Increasing Amount of FeedbackIncreasing Amount of FeedbackFriends/familyVehicle/technology
• GIDS – the self-learning carProfessionals
• Driving instruction• Health screening• Advice• Tests/tools
Social Travel GroupsPractical, social and emotional supportPractical, social and emotional supportIn-person GroupsIn-person Groups
– Meet once a week– Share information on travel issues – walking, cycling, driving,
public transport– Pressure/lobby group– Share telephone numbers/emails/addresses for on the spot
information– Share lifts/taxis/days outs
Virtual GroupsVirtual Groups– Share information on travel– Post ideas/thoughts/concepts– Place opinions/judgements “reality” against “facts”
New Information sought on: Secondary information: Primary information source:
Bus stop location Start and destination; route knowledge
Published timetable, friends and family
Timetable information Start and finish times, different days of week etc.
Published timetable
Time to/from bus stop Start and destination Friends and family, own experience
Quality of walk Hills, safety, quality of pavement
Own experience
Quality of bus stop Seats, shelter Own experience
Bus arrival norm Usually early or late, predictability, reliability
Own experience
Bus norms How to purchase a ticket, business, best places to sit, how to alight
Own experience
Cost Learn cheapest routes, times of the day, ticket types etc.
Friends and family, own experience
Carrying What you can/cannot carry; how you can carry more if needed
Own experience
CONCLUSION
Conclusions (1)
• Older drivers view car as important to their lives– Good for physical and mental health – Functional: Day-to-day activities, services, A to B– Psychological: personality, prestige, self-esteem, mastery, identity– Aesthetic: need to see nature, relax, and test cognitive skills
• Key driving issues for older drivers are– Distraction– Keeping to the speed limit– Fatigue/tiredness– Reactions– Glare and luminance
Conclusions (2)• Change the infrastructure
– Involve older people in re-design– Take into account all aspects of travel need– Will it be noticed enough to alter behaviour?– Possibility of design for all?
• Increase information – Non-dynamic means it may not be heeded– Targeting is important – Do we know what information people want?– Cost of “personalised” travel information
• Offer new technology– Complexity– Re-learning of the driving task– Technophobia
Conclusions (3)• Virtual Mobility
– What is lost?– Accessibility for all?– technophobia
• Self-awareness– Offers a chance of staggered tailored re-learning– Staggered reduction in driving and re-learning alternative mobility patterns– Do we need to learn to be reflective? If so, how?– Group reflection and learning – does everyone want to get involved? Who loses
out?
• All of the above?– Maybe need for all of above to occur but in what manner?– Who will co-ordinate? Where will funding come from?– A need for more research– Policy shaping – a need for transport to link to health, community etc.
Thanks for listening
Many thanks to Hebba Haddad, my Researcher, and all the participants on my older driver’s project for their valuable time and help and to the SPARC team for their help, guidance and funding – Verity Smith, Peter lansley, Nicky Hewson and Richard Faragher.
Further informationFurther information
Dr Charles MusselwhiteDr Charles Musselwhite
Senior LecturerSenior Lecturer
Centre for Transport & SocietyCentre for Transport & Society
University of the West of England,University of the West of England,