Charles Musselwhite Senior Lecturer in Traffic and Transport Psychology,

1. Travel and well-being. Travel independence and car dependence: An exploration older drivers travel and driving needs Charles MusselwhiteSenior Lecturer in Traffic and Transport Psychology, Centre for Transport & SocietyCharles.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. MethodologyProlonging the safe driving of older people through technology Wave 1 focus group Understanding older people’s driving needs Driver Diary Reflecting on driving needs in practice PHASE ONE - 25 driving (3 groups) Telephone Interviews Re-visiting driving needs and assessing attitudes to technology Wave 2 focus group Understanding how driving needs might be met with modern technology PHASE TWO - 31 no longer driving PHASE THREE - 18 users/experts Interviews Why people gave up driving and assessing the feasibility of technologies E-Discussion To examine the generalisability and feasibility of developing the new technologies

5. TRAVEL NEEDS

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

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 “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)” • On giving-up driving – • this level of need is usually met • friends • accessible transport • public transport • teleshopping?

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 “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) “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)

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. Driver Needs TIREDNESS Compensatory Behaviour REACTIONS EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS MAINTAINNG A CONSTANT SPEED Help Wanted GLARE AND LUMINANCE

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

19. Reducing negative affects of mobility deprivation • Infrastructure • Information • Technology • Virtual Mobility • Self-awareness

20. THE FUTURE - IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE

21. Infrastructure meeting needs TERTIARY TRAVEL NEEDS Aesthetic Needs Pleasantness of neighbourhood open spaces (trees, plants, waterscapes) Least awareness 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 PRIMARY TRAVEL NEEDS Practical Needs Large, open, un-crowded, low level of noise. Lack of nuisance. Well maintained paths for movement. Facilities and amenities. Most awareness

23. Improving Infrastructure for Drivers EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS • 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 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. EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS Dashboard sign display (with user prioritisation) Head-up sign display (with user prioritisation) MAINTAINING A CONSTANT SPEED • 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

30. THE FUTURE - VIRTUAL MOBILITY

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

32. Virtual Mobility Challenges • What is missing from the “virtual” world compared to “reality”? • Touch, smell, sense, continuity, impression managed, staged • Equal access? Potential • Increase in technology and networking • Increased accessibility • Increased use – buying, talking, making friends, “visiting”, watching, interacting • Own time

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”

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