travel and well-being. travel independence and car dependence: an exploration older drivers travel...

Travel and well-being. Travel independence and

car dependence: An exploration older drivers travel and

driving needs

Charles MusselwhiteSenior Lecturer in Traffic and Transport Psychology,

Centre for Transport & [email protected]

0117 32 83010

mailto:[email protected]

Summary

The research study

The importance of travel

Issues with driving

The future

THE RESEARCH STUDY

PH

AS

E O

NE

- 2

5 d

rivi

ng

(3

gro

up

s)

Driver DiaryReflecting on driving needs in practice

Wave 2 focus group Understanding how driving needs

might be met with modern technology

Telephone Interviews Re-visiting driving needs and assessing

attitudes to technology

PHASE TWO - 31 no longer driving

InterviewsWhy people gave up driving and assessing the feasibility

of technologies

PHASE THREE -18 users/experts

E-DiscussionTo examine the

generalisability and feasibility of developing the

new technologies

Wave 1 focus group Understanding older people’s

driving needs

MethodologyProlonging the safe driving of older people through technology

TRAVEL NEEDS

PRIMARY TRAVEL NEEDSPRIMARY TRAVEL NEEDSPractical NeedsPractical Needs

Make appointments, access shops and services, work

SECONDARY TRAVEL NEEDSSECONDARY TRAVEL NEEDSSocial NeedsSocial Needs

The need for independence, control, status, roles

TERTIARY TRAVEL NEEDSTERTIARY TRAVEL NEEDSAesthetic NeedsAesthetic Needs

The need for relaxation, visit nature, test cognitive skills

Most awareness

Least awareness

Travel Needs



Need to get from A-to-B cheaply and quickly

Need for good information

Need for good accessibility and safety

Need for good reliability, comfort



On giving-up driving – this level of need is usually met friends accessible transport public transport teleshopping?

“Well Dorothy and David from number 3 take me shopping every week, we all go, we have a bit of

a time of it you know, it’s a kind of

outing. I never expected that.

(Female, gave-up driving at 80)”



FreedomPotential for travel (Metz, 2000)(Perceived) control

Independence Normalness of travel

Institutional CarismEmbedded in the culture of society

Social IdentityUsing travel to show status and roles

“It is the one thing that allows me to compete

with youngsters. It is the one thing I can probably still

do as well as when I was a young man”

“I feel able to be part of society”



On giving-up driving this level of needs is adversely affectedIsolation, no longer part of society, no longer normal

“It’s hard to explain I suppose. You just don’t seem like you belong. I suppose yes there are

feelings that you might be ready for the scrapheap

now. The first step to it, you know”

(Male, given-up driving at 76)

TERTIARY NEEDSTERTIARY NEEDSAesthetic NeedsAesthetic Needs


BiophiliaThe (innate) need to be with nature

Escapism and RelaxationThe need to get away from it all

Test skillsSatisfaction for “good driving”

“Until I moved into my (retirement) flat, I loved looking at my garden, how it changes throughout the seasons. With my car, at least, I can still visit parks and the forest regularly to watch them change”

http://www.jcc.ch/images/England_2003/ponys_in_new_forest.jpg

TERTIARY NEEDSTERTIARY NEEDSAesthetic NeedsAesthetic Needs


On giving up driving this level of need is adversely affected

“You can’t ask other people to take you out for “a

drive”. They’d think you’d lost their senses. Anyway

they have got better things to be doing with their time, then ferrying me about just

for the sake, like”(female, gave-up driving at

80)

“The bus doesn’t really go where you would want. The route isn’t

pretty. It just does the houses and the shops. The

views are ordinary”

(female, gave-up driving at 80)

DRIVING

Background: How Safe are Older Drivers?

• Older drivers are the safest drivers but…

• Taking into account miles driven, there is a slight increase for over 60s age group, which increases for 70+ age group and again for over 80s age group

• Distractions

• Junctions

Reasons for Increase in Accidents

• Physiological - eye-sight and hearing problems, restricted physical mobility

• Cognitive - working memory problems, decrease in information processing capacity decision making under pressure

• Psychological - Lack of confidence, anxiety, social norms, stereotypes,

labelling

Giving-up driving

• Drivers give up driving on average at 72 years of age

• Variety of reasons (voluntary and non-voluntary!)– Health – Scared themselves– Family/friends advice– Worried about ability

EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONSEXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS

MAINTAINNG A CONSTANT SPEEDMAINTAINNG A CONSTANT SPEED

TIREDNESSTIREDNESS

REACTIONSREACTIONS

GLARE AND LUMINANCEGLARE AND LUMINANCE

Driver Needs

HelpHelpW

anted

Wanted

Compensatory

Compensatory

Behaviour

Behaviour

THE FUTURE -

REDUCING THE NEGATIVE AFFECT OF MOBILITY DEPRIVATION

Reducing negative affects of mobility deprivation

• InfrastructureInfrastructure

• InformationInformation

• TechnologyTechnology

• Virtual MobilityVirtual Mobility

• Self-awarenessSelf-awareness

THE FUTURE -

IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE


Large, open, un-crowded, low level of noise. Lack of nuisance.

Well maintained paths for movement. Facilities and amenities.


A place to make a statement and interact e.g. suitable spaces for children to play and people to socialize


Pleasantness of neighbourhood open spaces (trees, plants, waterscapes)

Most awareness

Least awareness

Infrastructure meeting needs

Improving Infrastructure for Drivers

• More appropriate use of signs– Placement– Content– Amount

• Use older people in design of signage

• Replace current codes

• Better road materials• Better lighting

• Involve older people in design



THE FUTURE -

IMPROVING INFORMATION ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE

Improving information

Leaflet

Helpline– Real-time information– Personal travel information

Web-based– Browse in own time– Ability to control information

Information on the environs- improvements need communicating

After Marshall (2007)

THE FUTURE -

IN-VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES

Dashboard sign display (with user prioritisation)Dashboard sign display (with user prioritisation)

Head-up sign display (with user prioritisation)Head-up sign display (with user prioritisation)

Head-up display of current vehicle speedHead-up display of current vehicle speedAudible speed cue (driving speed)Audible speed cue (driving speed)Audible warning when reach actual Audible warning when reach actual speed limitspeed limitIntelligent Speed AdaptationIntelligent Speed Adaptation


Night vision enhancementNight vision enhancementHead-up displayDashboard display


MAINTAINING A CONSTANT SPEEDMAINTAINING A CONSTANT SPEED

THE FUTURE -

VIRTUAL MOBILITY







Most awareness

Least awareness

Virtual Mobility

Social networking

Shopping online

E-health

Tele-working

Webcams

Virtual Environments

Virtual MobilityPotential• Increase in

technology and networking

• Increased accessibility

• Increased use – buying, talking, making friends, “visiting”, watching, interacting

• Own time

Challenges• What is missing

from the “virtual” world compared to “reality”?– Touch, smell, sense,

continuity, impression managed, staged

• Equal access?

THE FUTURE -

SELF-AWARENESS

Self-Awareness and DrivingKey Issues

• Drivers already feel they are aware of their driving behaviour and adapt and compensate for alterations caused by ageing

• But almost all consider themselves to be better than average!

• Almost all consider themselves better than when they were younger

• Welcome assessment and re-learning

• Would like more information on health linked to driving

• Previous research suggests they are not good at self-assessment, but maybe this can be altered

Improving Self-Awareness

Encouraging Reflection-on-actionEncouraging Reflection-on-actionIndependent

• Diary/logbookGroup

• Research (Musselwhite & Haddad, 2007)– Continuous meetings, diary, interview

Increasing Amount of FeedbackIncreasing Amount of FeedbackFriends/familyVehicle/technology

• GIDS – the self-learning carProfessionals

• Driving instruction• Health screening• Advice• Tests/tools

Social Travel GroupsPractical, social and emotional supportPractical, social and emotional supportIn-person GroupsIn-person Groups

– Meet once a week– Share information on travel issues – walking, cycling, driving,

public transport– Pressure/lobby group– Share telephone numbers/emails/addresses for on the spot

information– Share lifts/taxis/days outs

Virtual GroupsVirtual Groups– Share information on travel– Post ideas/thoughts/concepts– Place opinions/judgements “reality” against “facts”

New Information sought on: Secondary information: Primary information source:

Bus stop location Start and destination; route knowledge

Published timetable, friends and family

Timetable information Start and finish times, different days of week etc.

Published timetable

Time to/from bus stop Start and destination Friends and family, own experience

Quality of walk Hills, safety, quality of pavement

Own experience

Quality of bus stop Seats, shelter Own experience

Bus arrival norm Usually early or late, predictability, reliability

Own experience

Bus norms How to purchase a ticket, business, best places to sit, how to alight

Own experience

Cost Learn cheapest routes, times of the day, ticket types etc.

Friends and family, own experience

Carrying What you can/cannot carry; how you can carry more if needed

Own experience

CONCLUSION

Conclusions (1)

• Older drivers view car as important to their lives– Good for physical and mental health – Functional: Day-to-day activities, services, A to B– Psychological: personality, prestige, self-esteem, mastery, identity– Aesthetic: need to see nature, relax, and test cognitive skills

• Key driving issues for older drivers are– Distraction– Keeping to the speed limit– Fatigue/tiredness– Reactions– Glare and luminance

Conclusions (2)• Change the infrastructure

– Involve older people in re-design– Take into account all aspects of travel need– Will it be noticed enough to alter behaviour?– Possibility of design for all?

• Increase information – Non-dynamic means it may not be heeded– Targeting is important – Do we know what information people want?– Cost of “personalised” travel information

• Offer new technology– Complexity– Re-learning of the driving task– Technophobia

Conclusions (3)• Virtual Mobility

– What is lost?– Accessibility for all?– technophobia

• Self-awareness– Offers a chance of staggered tailored re-learning– Staggered reduction in driving and re-learning alternative mobility patterns– Do we need to learn to be reflective? If so, how?– Group reflection and learning – does everyone want to get involved? Who loses

out?

• All of the above?– Maybe need for all of above to occur but in what manner?– Who will co-ordinate? Where will funding come from?– A need for more research– Policy shaping – a need for transport to link to health, community etc.

Thanks for listening

Many thanks to Hebba Haddad, my Researcher, and all the participants on my older driver’s project for their valuable time and help and to the SPARC team for their help, guidance and funding – Verity Smith, Peter lansley, Nicky Hewson and Richard Faragher.

Further informationFurther information

Dr Charles MusselwhiteDr Charles Musselwhite

Senior LecturerSenior Lecturer

Centre for Transport & SocietyCentre for Transport & Society

University of the West of England,University of the West of England,

Frenchay Campus,Frenchay Campus,

Coldharbour Lane,Coldharbour Lane,

Bristol. BS16 1QYBristol. BS16 1QY

[email protected]@uwe.ac.uk

0117 32 830100117 32 83010

www.transport.uwe.ac.ukwww.transport.uwe.ac.uk

travel and well-being. travel independence and car dependence: an exploration older drivers travel...

Documents

travel needs slide

practical needs

level of needs

needs methodology

secondary travel needs

travel independence

primary travel

good driving