@article{ref1,
title="Avoidance behavior is an independent indicator of poorer on-road driving skills in older adults",
journal="Journals of gerontology. Series B: psychological sciences and social sciences",
year="2019",
author="Schulz, Philipp and Beblo, Thomas and Spannhorst, Stefan and Labudda, Kirsten and Wagner, Thomas and Bertke, Volkmar and Boedeker, Sebastian and Driessen, Martin and Kreisel, Stefan H. and Toepper, Max",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current work was to investigate the relationship between avoidance of specific driving situations and on-road driving skills in older drivers considering factors found to be related to both avoidance behavior and driving skills. <br><br>METHOD: Seventy-two older drivers (M = 76 years) from the general population were included in this study. Self-reported avoidance behavior, driving practice, perceived driving difficulties, driving-related cognitive functions, as well as medical conditions were assessed within two sessions. Standardized on-road assessments served for assessing on-road driving skills in a third session. <br><br>RESULTS: Self-reported avoidance behavior was associated with reduced driving skills (r = -0.41), and this relationship remained significant beyond the influence of cognitive skills, self-reported health, driving practice, and perceived driving difficulties. Specifically, avoidance of driving in bad weather, poor visibility and complicated parking was found to be associated with reduced driving skills. <br><br>DISCUSSION: This study suggest that avoidance behavior is an independent indicator of impaired driving skills in older drivers. Our results argue against the assumption that avoidance behavior may be a reasonable strategy for safe traffic participation. Longitudinal studies are urgently needed to get more evidence on safety aspects of avoidance behavior.<br><br>© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1079-5014",
doi="10.1093/geronb/gbz063",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz063"
}