Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T08:02:57.008Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Seasonal and Weather Effects on Older Drivers’ Trip Distances

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2016

Glenys A. Smith
Affiliation:
Health, Leisure and Human Performance Research Institute, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba
Michelle M. Porter*
Affiliation:
Health, Leisure and Human Performance Research Institute, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba
Andrew W. Cull
Affiliation:
Health, Leisure and Human Performance Research Institute, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba
Barbara L. Mazer
Affiliation:
School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, and Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal; Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital
Anita M. Myers
Affiliation:
School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo
Gary Naglie
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine and Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences; Department of Research, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network; Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Michel Bédard
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Safe Driving and Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University
Holly A. Tuokko
Affiliation:
Centre on Aging and Department of Psychology, University of Victoria
Brenda H. Vrkljan
Affiliation:
Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University
Isabelle Gélinas
Affiliation:
School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, and Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal; Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital
Shawn C. Marshall
Affiliation:
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Mark J. Rapoport
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
*
La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: Michelle M. Porter, Ph.D. Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 ([email protected])

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if season or weather affected the objectively measured trip distances of older drivers (≥ 70 years; n = 279) at seven Canadian sites. During winter, for all trips taken, trip distance was 7 per cent shorter when controlling for site and whether the trip occurred during the day. In addition, for trips taken within city limits, trip distance was 1 per cent shorter during winter and 5 per cent longer during rain when compared to no precipitation when controlling for weather (or season respectively), time of day, and site. At night, trip distance was about 30 per cent longer when controlling for season and site (and weather), contrary to expectations. Together, these results suggest that older Canadian drivers alter their trip distances based on season, weather conditions, and time of day, although not always in the expected direction.

Résumé

Le but de cette étude a été de déterminer si la saison ou la météo, mesurées objectivement, ont affecté les distances des trajets parcourus par les conducteurs âgés (≥ 70 ans, n = 279) à travers sept sites canadiens. Pendant l’hiver, pour tous les voyages effectués, la distance était de 7 pour cent plus court, lors du contrôle pour le site et si le voyage a eu lieu pendant la journée. En outre, pour les déplacements effectués dans les limites de la ville, la distance était de 1 pour cent plus courte en hiver et 5 pour cent plus en cas de pluie, par rapport à aucune précipitation, tout en contrôlant pour le temps (ou la saison, respectivement), le moment de la journée, et le site. La nuit, contrairement à toute attente, la distance des voyages était d’environ 30 pour cent plus, lors de la commande pour la saison et le site (et la météo). Pris ensemble, ces résultats suggèrent que les conducteurs canadiens âgés modifient leurs distances de déplacement basé sur la saison, les conditions météorologiques, et l’heure de la journée, mais pas toujours dans le sens attendu.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andrey, J., Hambly, D., Mills, B., & Afrin, S. (2013). Insights into driver adaptation to inclement weather in Canada. Journal of Transport Geography, 28, 192203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andrey, J. (2010). Long-term trends in weather-related crash risks. Journal of Transport Geography, 18(2), 247258.Google Scholar
Baldock, M. R. J., Mathias, J. L., McLean, A. J., & Berndt, A. (2006). Self-regulation of driving and its relationship to driving ability among older adults. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 38(5), 10381045.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bell, B. A., Ene, M., Smiley, W., & Schoeneberger, J. A. (2013, April 28-May 1). A multilevel model primer using SAS PROC MIXED. Paper presented at the SAS Global Forum 2013: Statistics and Data Analysis, San Francisco, California. Retrieved from http://support.sas.com/resources/papers/proceedings13/433-2013.pdf Google Scholar
Blanchard, R. A., Myers, A. M., & Porter, M. M. (2010). Correspondence between self-reported and objective measures of driving exposure and patterns in older drivers. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 42(2), 523529.Google Scholar
Boot, W. R., Stothart, C., & Charness, N. (2014). Improving the safety of aging road users: A mini-review. Gerontology, 60(1), 9096.Google Scholar
Charlton, J. L., Oxley, J., Fildes, B., Oxley, P., Newstead, S., Koppel, S., & O’Hare, M. (2006). Characteristics of older drivers who adopt self-regulatory driving behaviours. Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 9(5), 363373.Google Scholar
Collia, D. V., Sharp, J., & Giesbrecht, L. (2003). The 2001 national household travel survey: A look into the travel patterns of older Americans. Journal of Safety Research, 34(4), 461470.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crizzle, A. M., & Myers, A. M. (2013). Examination of naturalistic driving practices in drivers with Parkinson’s disease compared to age and gender-matched controls. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 50, 724731.Google Scholar
D’Ambrosio, L. A., Donorfio, L. K. M., Coughlin, J. F., Mohyde, M., & Meyer, J. (2008). Gender differences in self-regulation patterns and attitudes toward driving among older adults. Journal of Women and Aging, 20(3–4), 265282.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dickerson, A. E., Molnar, L. J., Eby, D. W., Adler, G., Bedard, M., Berg-Weger, M. et al. (2007). Transportation and aging: A research agenda for advancing safe mobility. The Gerontologist, 47, 578590.Google Scholar
Dobbs, B. M. (2008). Aging baby boomers –A blessing or challenge for driver licensing authorities. Traffic Injury Prevention, 9(4), 379386.Google Scholar
Hakamies-Blomqvist, L., Raitanen, T., & O’Neill, D. (2002). Driver ageing does not cause higher accident rates per km. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 5(4), 271274.Google Scholar
Hakamies-Blomqvist, L., & Wahlström, B. (1998). Why do older drivers give up driving? Accident Analysis and Prevention, 30(3), 305312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hopkins, R. W., Kilik, L., Day, D. J., Rows, C., & Tseng, H. (2004). Driving and dementia in Ontario: A quantitative assessment of the problem. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Revue Canadienne de psychiatrie, 49(7), 434438.Google Scholar
Hudon, C., Fortin, M., & Soubhi, H. (2007). Abbreviated guidelines for scoring the cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS) in family practice. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 60(2), 212.Google Scholar
Huebner, K. D., Porter, M. M., & Marshall, S. C. (2006). Validation of an electronic device for measuring driving exposure. Traffic Injury Prevention, 7(1), 7680.Google Scholar
Janke, M. K. (1991). Accidents, mileage, and the exaggeration of risk. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 23(2), 183188.Google Scholar
Keall, M. D., & Frith, W. J. (2004). Older driver crash rates in relation to type and quantity of travel. Traffic Injury Prevention, 5(1), 2636.Google Scholar
Kilpelainen, M., & Summala, H. (2007). Effects of weather and weather forecasts on driver behaviour. Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 10(4), 288299.Google Scholar
Langford, J., Koppel, S., Charlton, J., Fildes, B., & Newstead, S. (2006). A re-assessment of older drivers as a road safety risk. IATSS Research, 30(1), 27.Google Scholar
Langford, J., Koppel, S., McCarthy, D., & Srinivasan, S. (2008). In defence of the ‘low-mileage bias’. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 40(6), 19961999.Google Scholar
Li, G., Braver, E. R., & Chen, L. (2003). Fragility versus excessive crash involvement as determinants of high death rates per vehicle-mile of travel among older drivers. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 35(2), 227236.Google Scholar
Lindstrom-Forneri, W., Tuokko, H. A., Garrett, D., & Molnar, F. (2010). Driving as an everyday competence: A model of driving competence and behavior. Clinical Gerontologist, 33(4), 283297.Google Scholar
Lyman, J. M., McGwin, G. Jr., & Sims, R. V. (2001). Factors related to driving difficulty and habits in older drivers. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 33(3), 413421.Google Scholar
Marshall, S. C., Man-Son-Hing, M., Bedard, M., Charlton, J., Gagnon, S., Gelinas, I., et al. (2013). Protocol for Candrive II/Ozcandrive, a multicentre prospective older driver cohort study. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 61, 245252.Google Scholar
Marshall, S. C., Wilson, K. G., Molnar, F. J., Man-Son-Hing, M., Stiell, I., & Porter, M. M. (2007). Measurement of driving patterns of older adults using data logging devices with and without global positioning system capability. Traffic Injury Prevention, 8(3), 260266.Google Scholar
MetOffice. (2013). When does winter start – The difference between the meteorological and astronomical seasons. Retrieved from http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/learn-about-the-weather/how-weather-works/when-does-winter-start Google Scholar
Michon, J. A. (1985). A critical review of driver behavior models: What do we know, what should we do? In Schwing, R., & Evans, L. (Eds.), Human behavior and traffic safety (pp. 487525). New York, NY: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Molnar, L. J., Charlton, J. L., Eby, D. W., Bogard, S. E., Langford, J., Koppel, S., et al. (2013). Self-regulation of driving by older adults: Comparison of self-report and objective driving data. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 20, 2938.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, A. M., Trang, A., & Crizzle, A. M. (2011). Naturalistic study of winter driving practices by older men and women: Examination of weather, road conditions, trip purposes, and comfort. The Canadian Journal on Aging, 30(4), 577589.Google Scholar
Oxley, J., Charlton, J., Scully, J., & Koppel, S. (2010). Older female drivers: An emerging transport safety and mobility issue in Australia. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 42(2), 515522.Google Scholar
Persen Technologies Inc. (PERSENTECH). (2010). OttoView-CD user manual and instruction guide. Winnipeg, MB: Author.Google Scholar
Peugh, J. L. (2010). A practical guide to multilevel modeling. Journal of School Psychology, 48(1), 85112.Google Scholar
Porter, M. M., Smith, G. A., Cull, A. W., Myers, A. M., Bédard, M., Gélinas, I., et al. (2015). Older driver estimates of driving exposure compared to in-vehicle data in the Candrive II study. Traffic Injury Prevention, 16(1), 2427.Google Scholar
Rosenbloom, S. (2001). Sustainability and automobility among the elderly: An international assessment. Transportation, 28(4), 375408.Google Scholar
Sabback, F., & Mann, W. C. (2005). The influence of climate and road conditions on driving patterns in the elderly population. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 23(2–3), 6374.Google Scholar
Staplin, L., Gish, K. W., & Joyce, J. (2008). ‘Low mileage bias’ and related policy implications – A cautionary note. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 40(3), 12491252.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teets, D. A. (2003). Predicting sunrise and sunset times. The College Mathematics Journal, 34(4), 317321.Google Scholar
Turcotte, M. (2012). Profile of seniors’ transportation habits. Statistics Canada Catalogue, 11–008. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/11-008-x2012001-eng.pdf Google Scholar