Understanding Driving Anxiety in Older Adults

Background/objectives: Driving anxiety is a heterogeneous experience that can impact on everyday activities. Little is known about whether older adults experience driving anxiety and, if so, what impact it has on their health, functioning, and quality of life. This is particularly important given the ageing population and driving patterns of older drivers. The present study examines the extent of self-reported driving anxiety in older adult drivers.

Design: Population survey of community-dwelling older drivers.

Setting: New Zealand.

Participants: 1170 adults aged 65 and over.

Measurements: Self-reported ratings of driving anxiety.

Results: 62.3% of participants reported no driving anxiety, 27.0% reported mild driving anxiety and 10.7% endorsed more moderate to extreme levels of driving anxiety, which is higher than has been identified with adults aged 55-72. Women were significantly more often (p <  .01) represented in the groups of mildly and moderately anxious drivers, and those who were moderately to extremely anxious were more likely to be aged 70+ (p <  .04). Those with moderate to severe driving anxiety tended to drive less often, for shorter distances, and to use alternative modes of transport more often than those with mild or no driving anxiety.

Conclusion: Driving anxiety is experienced by many older adults, with quite a large proportion reporting high levels of driving anxiety and associated differences in driving patterns. Further research is needed to better understand why older drivers experience driving anxiety, and how it impacts health and wellbeing as well as driving self-regulation and cessation.