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Drivers’ willingness to drive in old age: a case study on young and mid-aged drivers in China

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Abstract

Previous studies on driving have found connections among age, gender, perceived driving ability, self-regulatory behavior and driving intentions. However, young and mid-aged drivers’ willingness to drive in old age has not been examined in prior studies. The aim of the present study was to gain a better understanding of Chinese drivers’ willingness to drive in old age as well as the influence of predictors of this willingness. A sample of 334 participants (aged 20–62 years) completed the perceived driving abilities scale, the driving willingness scale and scales of driving behavior and general information. A multivariate logistic model was used to explore the factors that changed individuals’ willingness to drive in old age. The results indicated that drivers’ willingness to drive in old age was significantly correlated with age, current driving experience and perceived driving ability in the future. With respect to drivers’ perceived driving abilities, visual acuity and executive skills were important predictors of drivers’ willingness to drive in old age. In addition, both subjective attitudes and objective attitudes significantly impaired drivers’ willingness. Conversely, we found that drivers’ willingness to drive increased with restrictive measures. These findings extend our understanding of how attitudes and awareness can influence drivers’ willingness to drive in old age. Although drivers’ current willingness may subsequently change, the findings are valuable for the study of the driving behavior of older drivers in China.

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Acknowledgments

This paper was supported by the “National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51308177, 51578207, 51678211),” the “Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation (No. 1408085 MG137)” and the “Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (No. 20120111120021)”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Automobile and Traffic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, 193 Tunxi Road, Hefei, Anhui, China

    Weihua Zhang, Jinbiao Gu, Kun Wang, Yingjie Du & Zhongxiang Feng

Authors
  1. Weihua Zhang
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  2. Jinbiao Gu
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  3. Kun Wang
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  4. Yingjie Du
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  5. Zhongxiang Feng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhongxiang Feng.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Perceived driving abilities (15 items).

How would you rate your current ability compared with your ability in the last several years, and how would you rate your ability after the age of 65 compared with the current time? Response options: very poor, poor, same, good or very good (from 1 to 5).

  1. 1.

    See road signs at a distance.

  2. 2.

    See road signs at a distance (night).

  3. 3.

    See your speedometer and controls.

  4. 4.

    See pavement lines (at night).

  5. 5.

    Avoid hitting curbs and medians.

  6. 6.

    See vehicles approaching beside you.

  7. 7.

    See objects on the road (at night) with glare from lights or wet roads.

  8. 8.

    Quickly spot pedestrians stepping out from between parked cars.

  9. 9.

    Move your foot quickly from the gas to the brake pedal.

  10. 10.

    Conduct an over-the-shoulder check.

  11. 11.

    Quickly find a street or exit in an unfamiliar area and in heavy traffic.

  12. 12.

    Get in and out of your car.

  13. 13.

    Reverse or back up safely.

  14. 14.

    Make quick driving decisions (e.g., accelerate, decelerate, overtaking).

  15. 15.

    Drive safely (avoid accidents).

Appendix 2

Reasons for restricting driving (17 items).

If you were considering driving after the age of 65, what influence would the following reasons have on your driving frequency? Response options: none, slight, moderate, severely or completely, representing 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 %, respectively (from 1 to 5).

  1. 1.

    My vision deteriorated.

  2. 2.

    My hearing deteriorated.

  3. 3.

    My general health deteriorated but was not poor.

  4. 4.

    I was having difficulty with activities related to daily life because of serious illness or other physical problems.

  5. 5.

    I began feeling unsafe when driving.

  6. 6.

    My doctor advised me to.

  7. 7.

    Someone else advised me to.

  8. 8.

    The police imposed a driving restriction on me.

  9. 9.

    There was a deterioration in my learning or mental abilities.

  10. 10.

    Cost of gas and upkeep of my car was too expensive.

  11. 11.

    Medications were interfering with my ability to drive.

  12. 12.

    I reached a certain age.

  13. 13.

    I had an at-fault accident.

  14. 14.

    I had a near-accident.

  15. 15.

    I no longer needed to drive as much (e.g., someone else was available to drive, alternative transportation was available, moved, retired).

  16. 16.

    I no longer enjoy driving.

  17. 17.

    I am a danger to others.

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Zhang, W., Gu, J., Wang, K. et al. Drivers’ willingness to drive in old age: a case study on young and mid-aged drivers in China. Cogn Tech Work 18, 733–743 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-016-0386-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-016-0386-y

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