OLDER DRIVERS ARE BEST...THEY OUTSHINE YOUNGER RIVALS !!!!!!

[Daanyeer]

Older drivers ARE best after hi-tech tests show they outshine younger rivals


By Paul Bentley
23rd July 2010

Whether dithering at a junction or taking an age to park, the older motorist is often a horn beep away from a confrontation with an angry, younger driver.
But those critics should perhaps take a long look at themselves in the rear-view mirror.

A study shows elderly drivers are more capable than their less experienced counterparts.
Researchers wired up 74 drivers, split into three age categories, to software that simulated driving and tracked responses to hazards, such as cars emerging from blind spots and pedestrians standing on kerbs.
Those in the oldest age category, who had been driving for more than 37 years, were as good at responding to risks as those in the middle age category.
Inexperienced drivers performed the worst, tending to fixate on what was straight ahead, and many failed to respond to cars emerging from the sides of the road.

Older drivers, though, were quick to point the finger when things went wrong, the study found.
Avinoam Borowsky, who led the research at the Ben Gurion University in Israel, said that while older drivers relied quite heavily on signs, they were more capable of perceiving dangers than young motorists.
He said: ‘We examined six short video clips and when watching them, the people had to press a button each time they detected a hazard.

'Older drivers seem to detect hazards the same as experienced drivers. And the older and experienced drivers were better than younger drivers.
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‘We found that with older drivers, in general, their hazard perception abilities remained intact.’
The study’s findings may well be of interest to insurance companies, found this year to be doubling rates for elderly women after retirement – and to authorities that insist on older drivers frequently renewing their licences.
A licence is currently valid until the driver is 70, after which it has to be renewed every three years.
Neil Greig, of the Institute for Advanced Motorists, said: ‘This bears out what we have been saying. Older drivers are among the safest groups on the road.’
And here's the proof: Stirling Moss returns to the racetrack

Just four months after he broke both ankles in a fall down a lift shaft, Sir Stirling Moss is back racing cars again.
The 80-year-old Formula 1 veteran drove his 150mph Osca FS 372 for three laps around Silverstone in preparation for competing in the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy race.

He finished second in his class during the qualifying session, putting him on the grid behind musician Chris Rea who is also competing in the Woodcote Trophy.
Earlier, Sir Stirling was spotted in a wheelchair being pushed around by his wife, Susie.

But an onlooker said: ‘It looked like he was just trying to conserve energy for the driving.

'He’s able to walk, and stood up to get into his car.’
It marks an astonishing recovery for the racing star, who feared he would never walk again after the accident at home in March.



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