1. Travel and well-being. Travel independence and car dependence: An exploration older drivers travel and driving needs Charles Musselwhite Senior Lecturer in Traffic and Transport Psychology, Centre for Transport & Society Charles.Musselwhite@uwe.ac.uk Charles.Musselwhite@uwe.ac.uk 0117 32 83010

2. Summary The research study The importance of travel Issues with driving The future

3. THE RESEARCH STUDY

4. PHASE ONE - 25 driving (3 groups) Driver Diary Reflecting 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 Interviews Why people gave up driving and assessing the feasibility of technologies PHASE THREE - 18 users/experts E-Discussion To examine the generalisability and feasibility of developing the new technologies Wave 1 focus group Understanding older people’s driving needs Methodology Prolonging the safe driving of older people through technology

5. TRAVEL NEEDS

6. PRIMARY TRAVEL NEEDS Practical Needs Make appointments, access shops and services, work SECONDARY TRAVEL NEEDS Social Needs The need for independence, control, status, roles TERTIARY TRAVEL NEEDS Aesthetic Needs The need for relaxation, visit nature, test cognitive skills Most awareness Least awareness Travel Needs

7. PRIMARY TRAVEL NEEDS Practical Needs Make appointments, access shops and services, work 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

8. PRIMARY TRAVEL NEEDS Practical Needs Make appointments, access shops and services, work 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)”

9. SECONDARY TRAVEL NEEDS Social Needs The need for independence, control, status, roles  Freedom Potential for travel (Metz, 2000) (Perceived) control  Independence  Normalness of travel Institutional Carism Embedded in the culture of society  Social Identity Using 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”

10. SECONDARY TRAVEL NEEDS Social Needs The need for independence, control, status, roles On giving-up driving this level of needs is adversely affected Isolation, 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)

11. TERTIARY NEEDS Aesthetic Needs The need for relaxation, visit nature, test cognitive skills  Biophilia The (innate) need to be with nature  Escapism and Relaxation The need to get away from it all  Test skills Satisfaction 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”

12. TERTIARY NEEDS Aesthetic Needs The need for relaxation, visit nature, test cognitive skills 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)

13. DRIVING

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS MAINTAINNG A CONSTANT SPEED TIREDNESS REACTIONS GLARE AND LUMINANCE Driver Needs HelpWanted CompensatoryBehaviour

18. THE FUTURE - REDUCING THE NEGATIVE AFFECT OF MOBILITY DEPRIVATION

19. Reducing negative affects of mobility deprivation InfrastructureInfrastructure InformationInformation TechnologyTechnology Virtual MobilityVirtual Mobility Self-awarenessSelf-awareness

20. THE FUTURE - IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE

21. PRIMARY TRAVEL NEEDS Practical Needs Large, open, un-crowded, low level of noise. Lack of nuisance. Well maintained paths for movement. Facilities and amenities. SECONDARY TRAVEL NEEDS Social Needs A place to make a statement and interact e.g. suitable spaces for children to play and people to socialize TERTIARY TRAVEL NEEDS Aesthetic Needs Pleasantness of neighbourhood open spaces (trees, plants, waterscapes) Most awareness Least awareness Infrastructure meeting needs

23. 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 EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS GLARE AND LUMINANCE

24. THE FUTURE - IMPROVING INFORMATION ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE

25. Improving information Leaflet Helpline –Real-time information –Personal travel information Web-based –Browse in own time –Ability to control information

26. Information on the environs - improvements need communicating After Marshall (2007)

27. Information on the environs - improvements need communicating After Marshall (2007)

28. THE FUTURE - IN-VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES

29. Dashboard sign display (with user prioritisation) Head-up sign display (with user prioritisation) Head-up display of current vehicle speed Audible speed cue (driving speed) Audible warning when reach actual speed limit Intelligent Speed Adaptation GLARE AND LUMINANCE Night vision enhancement Head-up display Dashboard display EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS MAINTAINING A CONSTANT SPEED

30. THE FUTURE - VIRTUAL MOBILITY

31. PRIMARY TRAVEL NEEDS Practical Needs Make appointments, access shops and services, work SECONDARY TRAVEL NEEDS Social Needs The need for independence, control, status, roles TERTIARY TRAVEL NEEDS Aesthetic Needs The need for relaxation, visit nature, test cognitive skills Most awareness Least awareness Virtual Mobility Social networking Shopping online E-health Tele-working Webcams Virtual Environments

32. Virtual Mobility Potential 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?

33. THE FUTURE - SELF-AWARENESS

34. Self-Awareness and Driving Key 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

35. Improving Self-Awareness Encouraging Reflection-on-action Independent Diary/logbook Group Research (Musselwhite & Haddad, 2007) –Continuous meetings, diary, interview Increasing Amount of Feedback Friends/family Vehicle/technology GIDS – the self-learning car Professionals Driving instruction Health screening Advice Tests/tools

36. Social Travel Groups Practical, social and emotional support In-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 Groups –Share information on travel –Post ideas/thoughts/concepts –Place opinions/judgements “reality” against “facts”

37. New Information sought on:Secondary information:Primary information source: Bus stop locationStart and destination; route knowledge Published timetable, friends and family Timetable informationStart and finish times, different days of week etc. Published timetable Time to/from bus stopStart and destinationFriends and family, own experience Quality of walkHills, safety, quality of pavement Own experience Quality of bus stopSeats, shelterOwn experience Bus arrival normUsually early or late, predictability, reliability Own experience Bus normsHow to purchase a ticket, business, best places to sit, how to alight Own experience CostLearn cheapest routes, times of the day, ticket types etc. Friends and family, own experience CarryingWhat you can/cannot carry; how you can carry more if needed Own experience

38. CONCLUSION

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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.

42. 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 information Dr Charles Musselwhite Senior Lecturer Centre for Transport & Society University of the West of England, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol. BS16 1QY Charles.Musselwhite@uwe.ac.uk 0117 32 83010 www.transport.uwe.ac.uk