Dr Mark King's research has found that
the roads will need to be safer for
Australia's ageing population.
Dr Mark King, from the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q) at QUT, said the ageing Australian population meant a new approach to road safety was required.
"Young drivers are much more likely to crash their cars, but the issue for older people is that they are much more vulnerable if they are involved in a crash, either as a driver or as a passenger," Dr King said.
"While older people are less likely to be injured when driving, they are more likely to be killed because they are more fragile."
"Currently, for every two people in the 17- to 20-year-old age group, there is one person over 80, however, in 2050, for every two 17- to 20-year-olds, there will be 10 people aged over 80. Many of them will still be driving, and virtually all will be passengers in cars," he said.
"When young people are considered to be at fault in a crash, it often involves a high-risk behaviour like speeding or drink driving, whereas when older people are considered to be at fault it is often because they failed to see something or made a poor decision.
"Older drivers are less able to process information quickly and respond to situations more slowly, therefore, we can help prevent crashes for older drivers by making roads a safer place for them."
Dr King said there were several ways roads could be made safer for older drivers, which included improving road signage and increasing the number of intersection traffic lights that have right turn arrows.
"Older drivers tend to have more trouble judging breaks in the traffic big enough to make the right turn and their reactions are slower," he said.
"They also tend to have trouble with multi-lane roundabouts and merging onto busy highways or a reduced number of lanes after traffic lights."
Dr King said another challenge that faced older drivers was recognising when their on-road abilities were deteriorating.
"People age at different rates, so a challenge for society is to find ways for older drivers to use the road system safely," he said.
"Everyone will have to be a lot more patient with each other on the road, and not use threatening behaviour like tailgating or beeping the horn to rush people."
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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