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Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology pp 3135–3150Cite as

Driving Under Reduced Visibility Conditions for Older Adults

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Definition of the Subject and Its Importance

An important and consistent finding regarding driving safety is that accident risk increases for older driver populations [1–3]. Evans [2] systematically examined data from the FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) and found steady increases in accident fatalities and rate of severe crashes for older drivers who were older than 60. This increased accident rate occurred for both men and women and was independent of miles driven.

For many people, driving gives us a sense of independence. This becomes even more important for older population to maintain the quality of life. Unfortunately, natural age-related functional deteriorations cause decreased driving performance and increased crash risks. There are an increasing number of older adults on the road today compared to 10 years ago [4], and the older driver population will continue to increase in the next few decades. Thus, it is important to understand older adults’ driving behaviors...

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Abbreviations

Contrast sensitivity:

The ability to distinguish different levels of luminance for a given display.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, 67260, USA

    Dr. Rui Ni

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  1. RAMTECH LIMITED, Larkspur, CA, USA

    Robert A. Meyers

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Ni, R. (2012). Driving Under Reduced Visibility Conditions for Older Adults . In: Meyers, R.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_476

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