The Long-term Effects of Active Training Strategies on Improving Older Drivers' Scanning in Intersections: a Two-year Follow-up to Romoser and Fisher (2009)

Objective: To determine the long-term effects of active training on older drivers' scanning in intersections, the present article reports the results of a 2-year followup with drivers who had previously participated the older driver training study reported in Romoser and Fisher.

Background: Customized feedback coupled with active learning in a simulator has been shown to be an effective means of significantly improving the intersection scanning behavior of older drivers. However, the long-term effect of such training has not been established.

Method: Older drivers from the active learning and control groups from Romoser and Fisher were invited to participate in a 2-year follow-up field drive in their own vehicle starting at their home. Secondary looks, defined as looking away from the path of the vehicle while entering the intersections toward regions to the side from which other vehicles could appear, were recorded.

Results: Two years after their training, older drivers in the active learning group still took secondary looks more than one and a half times as often as 2009 pretraining levels. Control group drivers saw no significant change in performance over the 2-year period.

Conclusion: Customized feedback and active learning in a simulator is an effective strategy for improving the safe driving habits of older drivers over the long term. It provides drivers a means by which to reincorporate previously extinguished behaviors into their driving habits.

Application: These results can guide the development of older driver retraining programs that could have the potential to reduce intersection crashes.