Differences in traffic judgements between young and old adult pedestrians Student: 董瑩蟬

Purpose To investigate the young and old pedestrians on the traffic judgement situation. To found the difference problems when crossing the road.

Reference The older pedestrians has higher than young on the crash risk. (Alexander et al.,1990; Sheppard et al.,1986) There are about 19% traffic accident from pedestrians, and ca 30% is the age over 65 years. (Fildes et al.,1994) There are some human factor decline with age increase, which are physical capabilities, mobility, ability and judgements, those increased road behavior risk. (Stelmach and Nahom,1992; Triggs et al.,1994)

Reference

Data between 1987 and mid-1995, there are 52 pedestrian (19 age over 65 years, 33 young). Most data collect from 9 A.M to 6 P.M. The most times on the steeping off Kerb for both group. The collisions on far-side higher than near-side for both group.

Reference Fildes et al.(1994) found the most collision occurred on the stepping off kerb. Fildes et al.(1994) found the old pedestrians difficulties notes the near and far side at the same time. Carthy et al.(1995) found that the old pedestrians are more unsafe crossing road.

Method-observational 1 80 younger, age 30 to older, age over 65 years Data collect from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. Random selsction pedestrians. Data analysed using SPSS-X. Camera 2 crossing area Camera 1 oncoming traffic

Result -1 Kerb delay * t(95)=1.59,p=0.05 The older pedestrians spent more time to leave the kerb after a vehicle passed their line of crossing. Similar to 1989 and Lee et al.(1984) for children.

Result -1 Gap acceptance Younger pedestrians accepted significantly shorter gaps than older.(t(83)=2.82,p<0.05) Time-of-arrival of vehicle and pedestrian crossing time. The average crossing times for old adult with 5.3 and the younger with 3.8 seconds. Lee et al.(1984) suggest that perceiving the affordance of a gap entails combining information about the environment with information about one’s walking speed.

Result -1 Some similar found that age differences in perception of critical traffic situations with older drivers. (Staplin et al.,1991; Scialfa et al.,1991) Carthy et al.(1995) also reported that older pedestrians crossed with closer moving traffic.

Result -1

Crossing styles Carthy et al.(1995) found similar patterns of crossing behavior in their recent study.

Method-observational 2 The same task with the method 1 They need only be careful with one direction of traffic. 40 younger, age between 30and 45 years 40 older, age over 65 years

Result -2 Kerb delay No significant group different.

Result -2 Gap acceptance, time-of-arrival, and crossing time measures were obtained for 33 younger and 31 old pedestrians. The average accepted shorter gaps than older pedestrians. No significance group different on the gap acceptance. (t(59)=1.47, p=0.07)

Result -2

Discussion Complex environment for older pedestrians is difficult to make decision and judge directions of traffic situation at the same time, similar to Maule et al.(1980) Older people reduced capacity to shift attention source, and found with Rabbitt(1982) and Korteling(1995). Older adult difficulties in actively selecting or dividing attention between sources of information in order to make appropriated judgements. (McDowd et al.,1988; Triggs et al.,1994)

Conclusions The two factors of safe road crossing which were gap acceptance and time-of- arrival judgements of oncoming wehicles. The complexity of traffic, it was an key effect of old pedestrian on the road crossing.