Ohio State research seeks to improve safety, reduce injury in elderly drivers

 January 16, 2017--As baby boomers age, their risk of life-threatening injuries from car crashes also increases. Although car seat belts are safe and save the lives of many drivers of different shapes and sizes, they don’t always provide optimal safety for everyone.

In an effort to improve safety and reduce injury in drivers over 65, researchers from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and industry partners are measuring impact and injuries sustained from side car crashes involving elderly drivers who wear seat belts.

John Bolte, associate professor of health and rehabilitation sciences at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and director of Ohio State’s Injury Biomechanics Research Center​, is analyzing differences in injuries sustained from side impact car crashes to help improve safety system designs for the 36 million elderly drivers on America’s roads today.

“When seat belts were first designed about four decades ago, safety dummies tested in car crash simulations resembled the average-size male driver of 40 years old and weighing approximately 170 lbs.,” said Bolte, also principal investigator of the study.

Now, thanks to thanks to advanced technology, instrumentation and imagining, we know a lot more about the human body and its bones and how they respond to crashes than we did 20 years ago, yet researchers say the biggest obstacle that remains is human variation.

“Age isn’t the best predictor of how someone responds to injury. We need to move the field away from age and into something more scientifically based, such as looking at properties of the thorax or upper body to better predict how much impact is associated with certain injuries,” Bolte said.

Researchers are conducting newly designed simulations using smaller crash test dummies that are a better representation of the fragile baby boomer population. While measuring impact, they’ll also document position and properties of the upper body to better predict appropriate protection for elderly drivers.

Industry experts say that improperly fitted seat belts save lives, but also can cause injury. To a young driver, some injuries sustained during car crashes won’t always be critical. However, for an elderly driver, fractured ribs or a broken pelvis can quickly become life threatening.

“We’re hopeful our data will assist with safety design modifications to better protect the older, more vulnerable drivers,” Bolte said.

Researchers say, one day, individuals will have a personalized car key fob that activates a customized safety system within their vehicles and adjusts the seat belt based on their individual physiology

Independence and Mobility Key for Older Drivers Report Finds

 Newswise, February 21, 2016 — The majority of older drivers want to continue driving as long as they are able to safely, according to a report written by a University of Warwick academic.

The report, called Keeping Older Drivers Safe and Mobile, was commissioned by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

More than 2,600 drivers and ex-drivers between the ages of 55 and 101 were surveyed in the report which was written by Dr Carol Hawley from Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick.

Although the report found 84% of driver respondents rated their driving ability as good to excellent and 86% rated their confidence as a driver as good to excellent, there were some factors which would persuade them to give up their car keys.

Dr Hawley said: “According to the survey most current drivers would consider giving up driving if they had a health condition or a health professional advised them to stop driving.

“General practitioners, doctors and opticians/optometrists are the most influential people to give advice on giving up driving.”

Given the reasons why older people value driving, it is no surprise that older people are reluctant to give up their vehicles.

Some 82% said that driving was ‘very or extremely important’ to them, and women were significantly more likely to rate driving as ‘extremely important’ than men.

The top five reasons why older drivers wanted to keep driving were:

Reason	Frequency	Percentage Of Survey
1. Independence	422	18.0
2. Convenience	416	17.7
3. Mobility/getting around	203	8.7
4. Freedom	202	8.6
5. Lack of public transport	148	6.3

Despite their determination to keep driving, the majority were in favour of measures to increase their safety on the roads including retesting and checking of various aspects of drivers’ health and competence to remain behind the wheel.

Almost 60% said drivers should retake the driving test every five years after age 70, 85% said drivers should pass an eyesight test every five years once they have reached 70, and more than half said that drivers aged around 70 should be required to have a medical examination.

Sarah Sillars, chief executive officer of the IAM, said: “A driving licence is a passport to freedom for all ages but particularly so for older drivers. As grandparents it’s about helping their family access jobs, education and childcare as well as keeping themselves independent and mobile. The psychological impact of a giving up a driving licence shouldn’t be underestimated.

“Reaction times and physical mobility are affected by age and all drivers need to make an informed decision about when to give up. We need to make it as easy as possible for mature drivers to make that choice armed with the full facts and all the support they need.

“While some might need to accept the decision they cannot keep driving safely on the road, we believe some are pushed into giving up before they really need to. A professional opinion counts for a lot, and there are many organisations that offer advisory voluntary assessments that will give an older driver the confidence they need to enjoy many more years of happy motoring – including ourselves.”