Approaching and stopping behaviors to the intersections of aged drivers compared with young drivers

• This study was to find causes of traffic accidents involved in older drivers at no traffic light intersection and better support systems to prevent nonstop collisions in the intersection.
• The features of older drivers were obtained for the approaching and stopping to intersection.
• At the sequential deceleration behaviors, individual differences of older driver were observed statistically, and several suggestive support methods were expected.
• Considering the each feature of deceleration behavior of older driver, available support system was suggested from both approaches from the database of averaged older drivers and noticing the individual differences of older drivers.
• As the results, examples of the designing of support and assistant systems were proposed.

According to the many reports of the traffic accidents, the number of the accidents near the intersections was increased in the cases of the aged drivers. The purpose of the research was to measure the sensitivity of elder drivers through behavioral responses in approaching and stopping to the intersections and to obtain the difference of the responses for braking and stopping comparing with young drivers. In the field tests of real running on experimental proving ground, elder and young drivers were observed their driving behaviors in various conditions of approaching and stopping at intersections. Comparing the results of the elder with the young, the unstable driving behaviors were examined in elderly and they were apt to run fast in approaching the intersection and also stopping rapidly. The rates of deceleration change (Jerk) with braking operation were unstable and the driving behaviors were affected by the environments or conditions of the intersection. These driving performances should be interfered with the traffic flow and exposed to the risk of accidents. If the features of these aged driver's behaviors were clarified better, the more effective driving assistant systems for elderly could be developed based on characteristics of elderly driver's driving performances and their physical and psychological features of driving.