Analysis of Elderly Drivers’ Behavior Raising Collision Risk around Tunnels on Expressway

Abstract

Although traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers are increasing, fundamental measures against these accidents have not been conducted. This study remarks tunnels on expressway where accident happens frequently, and compares driving behaviors of elderly drivers and non-elderly drivers. Moreover, this study examines which driving behaviors of elderly drivers raise collision risk. As a result, no significant difference between elderly drivers and non-elderly drivers has been confirmed. But the driving action of elderly drivers tends to raise collision risk in comparison with that of non-elderlies. The results above-mentioned give us a hypothesis that elderly drivers are not conscious of vehicle forward, and their consciousness of collision is less than that of non-elderlies. So, we interviewed 40 subjects (20 elderlies and 20 non-elderlies) by showing videos of accident-prone and evaluated each subject’s risk perception ability. The result shows that less consciousness of vehicle forward and collision cause elderly drivers’ risky behavior around tunnels on expressway.