Road safety impact of personality traits on elderly drivers

Road Safety

Impact of impulsiveness, venturesomeness, and empathy on driving by older adults

To accomplish its objectives, the research employed questionnaires to gather data from 101 elderly drivers (75 years and above). The sampling frame was obtained from the population of the research to make the research more discrete. The subject of the research was divided into two groups to ease the determination of the qualitative values. The groups included an upper and a lower quantile, and each was associated with a certain qualitative value.

What are the common traits of adult drivers in the United States, and how do the personality traits expose them to risks of road carnage?

The purpose of the exploratory research is to investigate the relationship between personality characteristics and aspects of driver behavior and driver safety.

Independent variables-personality traits of the adult drivers, dependent variable- aspects of driver safety and behavior

Personality traits are distinguished qualities of a person.

Aspects of driver safety and behavior refers to the attitude of the driver to the regulation and safety measures established by the road authorities.

5. The personality trait variable is qualitative type of data because they represent nominal scales. This is, they cannot be expressed in numerical form.

Aspects of driver safety and behavior is a quantitative type of data because it can be determined in numerical form.

6. Personality traits are psychological extremes that expose adult drivers to the risk of road accidents. It will be measured through presenting a list of 15 DBQ (Driving Behavior Questions) to determine the IVE (Impulsivenes, Venturesomeness, and Empathy) dimensions of adult drivers.

Aspects of driver behavior and safety refers to the occurrences that result from the independent variable.

C. Hypothesis

7. The personal characteristics of adult drivers impair the judgement of adult drivers on the road.

D. Construction of questionnaire

8. 1. Has the government stipulated the age limit for old adult drivers?

2. Do aggressive drivers cause the majority of road accidents amongst adult drivers?

3. did you ever drive a vehicle while in the control of alcohol?

4. Does driving at night affect your visibility?

5. Have you ever ignored the traffic prompts because of being late?

6. Do you honk more than once when you are behind a slow driver?

9. 1. How does your age negatively affect your performance on the road?

2. What are your views on the driver safety and behavior of adult drivers?

E. Sampling design

10. The populace of the study is the old-aged who are being exposed to the risks of road carnage as a result of impaired judgement arising from their personality traits.it includes a random sample. The sampling frame includes the list of respondents who responded to the DBQ questionnaire. The method of data collection involved administering of questionnaires to respondents.

11. The sample involved the ignored category of elderly drivers vulnerable to the danger of road accidents because of personality impairments.

12. 1. At times I do not see clearly while driving to the extent I miss hitting pedestrians.

2. The government should provide a means of public transport .

3. Most of the accidents on the roads took place because of the impatience of aggressive drivers.

4. I do not think my age negatively affects my performance on the road.

5. I respect traffic regulations. I do not drink and drive.

G. Compilation of results in a table

H. Analysis of results

8. 85.9% of the population sample were white. The other remaining lot was African-American. The average age of the populace was 72 years, ranging between 57-87 years. The research ascertained that subjects who reported high impulsivity and venturesome were younger males. They were more exposed to driving for long miles.

16. The data shows that older drivers who were recorded as more impulsive than the rest also committed more errors and violations of traffic regulations.

J. Discussion

22. The function of the document was to explain the hypothesis of the research. The research sought to establish the relationship between the age of older adults and the risk of road accidents. The research combined various aspects of the two variables in showing their relationship (impulsiveness, venturesomeness, and empathy on driving by older adults, and aspects of road safety and behaviors including crash involvement records, violations and driving exposure) The methodology employed in the data collection method focused on gathering sociological data (one that captured the sociological aspects of the old drivers). Each of the respondents was classified into two groups. The groups fell into upper and lower. The population in the upper quartile was viewed as more impulsive, empathetic, venturesome as compared to those in the lower quartile. The research found out that most accidents involved subjects that fell in the lower quartile. Those in the upper quartile were considered more exposed to the risk of road accidents. The connection between driving behavior, crash involvement and demographic traits were investigated through the use of chi-tests and t-tests.

23. Strengths

1. My study was inclusive. It considered both young and old drivers despite the main subject being the old drivers.

2. My study was consistent. The flow of the research adhered to the research question.

3. The design of the research favored the nature of the research. The methods used helped to capture the qualitative values of the research.

4. another area of strength for the research lie in the design and setting. The investigation was based on a population. It involved a cross-sectional study with a sex and age matched control group. The statistics gathered were directly used in the analysis process.

24. Weaknesses of the study

1. The study involved quantitative and qualitative data. It was difficult to determine the degree of qualitative data. The process was not accurate.

2. Some of the data obtained from the respondents was not true. It was subject to bias because it involved a point-of-view.

3. At some point in the research process, there was inconsistency in the personality traits of the adult drivers.

4. The study relied on historical data from the roads and safwty department of past accidents. The data collected reflected a past perception as opposed to a present-continous one.

5. The use of information from a single source worked to undermine the conclusions realized by the research. Some of the personality traits reflected by some old drivers did not reflect the common personality traits of adults from different regions. The research did not consider personality varuiations according to race and gender.

25. The research has helped shed more light into the risk created when old adults drive themselves. Future studies should make recommendations that will help the government contain the vice. Through answering the research questions, the research has shown that older drivers are disadvantaged because of personality traits. Future research on the topic should employ medical apparatus in measuring some of the qualitative data. The fact that some respondents acknowledged some personality and physical impairments helped to validate the research. This will help the research gain approval from a wide audience, thereby fulfill its objective.

26. The research methods helped us in the process of data collection. Through a definite research method, consistency is maintained in the sampling process. A good research design reflects methods that lead to attainment of a perfect sampling frame. The methods of the research help the researcher to bring his/her work to a successful completion. The responses from the respondents helped to determine their behavior on the road. The research method helped the research connect the two variables thus offering a solution to the problem.