Baby Boomers' impact on crash statistics

The Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) is about to undertake a major new research project, assessing older drivers to determine how road safety for this demographic can be improved.

Joined by statistical analysis consultants AutoCRC and Holden, MUARC has taken delivery of a $90,000 driving simulator, the EF-X Urban, which is built in France for the purpose of driver training.

MUARC has ordered the simulator with some variations to suit it to the purpose of gathering data from those tested.

The plan is to situate the simulator at Barloworld Holden, in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Waverley and later this year, John Collins Holden on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. As older drivers visit the dealerships to have their cars serviced, they will be invited to participate in the study.

MUARC and AutoCRC will gather "baseline data" from the simulator to build a picture of the sort of contingencies an older driver may encounter on the road, leading the driver to come unstuck.

The ultimate aim is to provide car companies with recommendations for interior design in the areas of control placement and layout... what Dr Judith Charlton from MUARC refers to as "the human/machine interface". This will include ease of operating switchgear, reading instrument graphics or being distracted while trying to change a radio station or audio CD.

In explaining the purpose of the project, Dr Charlton said: "We'll be looking at the interaction between technology and the older driver."

"So Holden is particularly interested in trying to better design the cockpit of the vehicle, the controls... And I guess with the proliferation of new technology coming out, that we make sure we're designing the car so that it's safer for drivers, not creating distractions -- particularly for older drivers."

Older drivers are about to be a major focus of road safety bodies as the 'Baby Boomer' generation -- Australians born between the end of the Second World War and 1962 -- start to reach the age of 65 years. From the end of the war in 1945, Australia went through its own mini population explosion. The progeny of Australia's returned servicemen and women now far outnumber those born before the cessation of hostilities.

With Australia's long-standing prosperity since the war, the 'Baby Boomers' are mobile in greater numbers than earlier generations. With this significant increase in older drivers -- allied with longer life expectancy -- there's a strong probability that older drivers will begin to feature in more accidents, not because driving skills are declining over time necessarily, but because older drivers will be using the roads in greater numbers, relative to the rest of the population.

Asked whether the massive expansion of the older driver demographic in coming years might be offset by technology and environmental improvements, such as stability control programs, Dr Charlton said: "A whole lot of that sort of stuff has got to get fed into the equation. We try to factor in new technology, but that's really hard."

"Experts are saying that ESP is going to be the next best thing -- in safety -- to the seatbelt", she also said.

The scope of the MUARC project is presently limited to improving vehicle ergonomics, but Dr Charlton said also that the data might be applied to other road safety counter-measures, such as road design, but not specifically for stereotyping older drivers.

"MUARC has been trying to move away from that age-based assessment of older drivers. Every other state in Australia has got some kind of 75-year old test. Our research shows that kind of approach produces no better safety record."

MUARC has a prestigious name within road safety circles, having devised and implemented the 'Going Solo' campaign a few months ago (more here) and participating in Victoria's Traffic Accident Commission road safety campaign, "Wipe off 5".

Holden has called upon MUARC's expertise for the development of the first airbags fitted to a locally manufactured Holden, the VR Commodore in 1993. Since then, MUARC has consulted on the development of Holden's first side-impact airbags -- offered on the VT Commodore in 2000 -- and the ESP system for the VE Commodore.

The MUARC survey will run until the end of this year.

To comment on this article click here