Older Drivers Reduced Engagement in Distracting Behaviors Over a Six-Year Period: Findings From the Candrive Longitudinal Study

Overview

Journal J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci

Specialties Geriatrics
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2023 Nov 7

PMID 37934029

Authors

Michel Bedard

Hillary Maxwell

Bruce Weaver

Arne Stinchcombe

Isabelle Gelinas

Barbara Mazer

Gary Naglie

Michelle M Porter

Mark J Rapoport

Holly Tuokko

Brenda Vrkljan

Shawn Marshall

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Baltes and Baltes' "selective optimization with compensation" model is pertinent to driving but evidence about the use of compensation using longitudinal designs is scarce. Therefore, we sought to determine if older drivers reduced their engagement in distracting behaviors while driving, over a 6-year period.

Methods: We used data captured over several annual assessments from a cohort of 583 drivers aged 70 and older to determine if their engagement in 12 distracting behaviors (e.g., listening to the radio, talking with passengers) declined over time. We adjusted our multivariable model for several potential confounders of the association between our outcome variable and time.

Results: Overall, and after adjustment for potential confounders, the participants reduced their engagement in distracting behaviors over the study period (odds ratio [OR] = 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.95-0.97). Baseline age was negatively associated with engagement in distracting behaviors (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.94-0.96). Men engaged in more distracting behaviors than women (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.03-1.27), as did participants living in the largest urban centers compared to participants living in the smallest areas (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.04-1.41). The number of kilometers driven per year (for every 10,000 km) was positively associated with the proportion of distracting behaviors drivers engaged in (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.08-1.19).

Discussion: Drivers in our cohort reduced their engagement in distracting behaviors over the study period. This suggests that older drivers adjust their driving over time, which aligns with age-related theories and models about compensation.

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