Abstract
In 1989 we assessed the sensory, cognitive, psychomotor, and physical functioning of 104 Houston drivers aged 40 to 92, as well as their driving habits and problems including accidents and citations. We found age-related changes in functional status and in driving patterns, but we found no age-related tendency to experience more driving problems. In 1990, 95 of the participants completed a 15 month follow-up survey in which we collected data related to accidents, traffic citations, and changes in driving patterns. Those participants who had had the poorest sensory functioning and who were smaller or weaker in 1989 were most likely to report that they had reduced driving or changed their driving habits in the 15 months following the study.
Age and accident rates (per mile driven) were not correlated. In the followup period, however, older drivers' citation rates were significantly lower than younger drivers'. The data were analyzed separately for males and females. We found that performance on several of the tests administered during the study period were predictors of accident and citation rates reported at the 15 month followup, but that different functional measures predicted accidents and citations for men and women.
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