System for Assessing Driving Ability of Elderly People

Abstract

The automobile has an important impact on the daily lives of elderly people and their ability to participate in society. However, the deterioration of physical skills caused by aging is also a cause of vehicular accidents. In this paper, we conduct research into the cognitive function on driving ability, and propose a method to evaluate the driving ability of elderly drivers. The proposed system that the system is a computer simulator rather than an actual on-road driving experiment evaluates the ability to follow a road, the ability to avoid obstacles, and the ability to escape from unexpected dangers. To identify the operating characteristics and define an assessment index, 102 people over the age of 65 were surveyed on their driving attitudes. The investigation showed that the tasks and assessment index, and based on this system, another 92 elderly people participated in evaluation tests. The results showed there was a significant difference between elderly and younger drivers in terms of road-following and obstacle-avoidance ability. In addition, an assessment index with a five-level rating system, based on the characteristics of elderly drivers, was proposed.