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AGILE - AGed people Integration, mobility, safety and quality of Life Enhancement through driving
QLRT - 2001 - 00118 |
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| Situation |
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Ageing people need autonomy and mobility to maintain a high quality of life in old age. Driving as an individual's transport of choice is a key issue in the mobility of the elderly. In Western society the older population is increasing both in absolute and relative terms, and there will be a corresponding increase in the number of elderly people holding a driving licence. The mean frequency of elderly drivers on European roads can be approximated to around 12% of all drivers today. This is expected to reach 20% by year 2010. During this process the numbers of older drivers will become |
evenly distributed between the genders due to an even more significant increase in the number of elderly female drivers. |
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| Project objectives |
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| AGILE has two general aims: |
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developing knowledge to establish rational pan-European policies for delivering certification of fitness to drive |
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helping the elderly to continue to drive safely for as long as possible |
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| These goals will be reached through a number of specific intermediate steps: |
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by establishing an aetiological classification of illnesses |
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associated with driving as well as an analysis of elderly drivers´ accident statistics |
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by gathering knowledge through interviews with elderly drivers themselves as well as experts in the fields of driver assessment, driver training and traffic safety |
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| The assessment system |
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| AGILE´s integrated assessment system will consist of the following tools: |
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At the first level a paper & pencil pre-screening tool will assess those elderly drivers who enter the procedure on medical or other grounds to decide if further screening of an elderly driver is required |
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At the second level a deeper medical screening including conducting neuropsychological tests |
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The driving skills of those elderly drivers with noticeable problems will be evaluated at the third level with simulator tests or a standardised test in traffic |
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| Expected outcomes |
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AGILE will make significant contributions to the rationalisation and standardisation of European licensing procedures for elderly drivers. New understandings of the problems of elderly drivers will lead to the development of a reliable and valid assessment procedure. The assessment procedure's objective is to select a minority of elderly who are no longer able to drive.
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