Older Drivers and Navigation Devices

NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Researchhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15259532018PDFTech ReportThomas, F. DennisDickerson, Anne E.Blomberg, Richard D.Graham, Lindsey A.Wright, Timothy J.Finstad, Kraig A.Romoser, Matthew R. E.Dunlap and Associates, Inc.United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Office of Behavioral Safety ResearchUnited States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited StatesAged driversDriver performanceDriver rehabilitationDriver trainingGlobal Positioning SystemHighway safetyMotor vehicle navigational aidsNavigationOlder DriversDeviceselectronic navigation systemENSroute-followingdriving rehabilitationdestination entrysafetytrainingGPSResearch HubDOT HS 812 587DTNH2209D00138L, Task Order 8This project examined measures related to older adults\u2019 driving performance while they drove to a familiar destination without navigation aids, and when following new routes they had not previously driven using paper directions or an electronic navigation system (ENS), often called a \u201cGPS.\u201d Phase 1 also explored the effects of experience/familiarity using an ENS on driving, route-following, and manual destination entry task performance. Phase 2 explored the impact of training in ENS use on driving behavior and destination entry performance. Phase 1 found that on average all age and familiarity groups exhibited better driving performance when using the ENS compared to paper directions. The 70-and-older group members who were previously unfamiliar with the use of an ENS had the poorest driving test scores. The Phase 1 destination entry task focused on determining whether the drivers could correctly enter addresses into the device. People in their 60s performed better on this task than did those in their 70s, and participants who were familiar with ENS outperformed those who were not. Phase 2 showed that training on the use of an ENS did not improve driving performance, but did improve performance on destination entry tasks. This study suggests that ENS systems are difficult for older drivers to program, but training such as that developed for the study can improve the ability of these drivers to correctly enter destinations. Any driving performance benefits the systems may afford drivers cannot be realized if a user cannot correctly input a destination or becomes frustrated and rejects the use of the ENS device altogether.129