Study on the Relationship between Traffic Accidents of Older Drivers and Local Environment

Abstract

The older drivers' proportion in the fatal accidents are increasing due to the aging society. In many rural areas, it is difficult for them to give up driving due to the lack of alternative transportation, and the rate of driver's license surrender is low. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between the driving behavior of older drivers, older drivers' accidents and their local environment. We assumed that, in addition to factors such as alternative means of transportation, the driving frequency and driving skills of older drivers vary due to the differences of transportation environment of living location, such as land use, road usage and road congestion. We analyzed the relationships using the data collected in Chiba prefecture. The results showed that there were significant differences in the unsafe driving behavior of older drivers in different region. It was confirmed that significant relationships between land use, driving frequency, and other factors and the occurrence of accidents. From these results, we obtained directions for the measures to prevent accidents involving older drivers in each region.