Research on driving behavior characteristics of older drivers based on drivers’ behavior graphs analysis

Considerable evidence suggests that the decline in physiological abilities prevalent in older drivers leads to a reduction in the visual and psychomotor functions required for safe driving. The purpose of this study is to further investigate the differences in driving behavior between older and younger drivers and to describe the change process of driving behavior. In this study, 19 younger and older drivers each were recruited for a driving simulation experiment that included five scenarios. Driving operation data, eye movement data, and physiological data of drivers in five conflict scenarios were collected. The differences in driving behaviors between the two groups were also compared and analyzed, on which the thresholds of different driving behavior nodes were determined and driving behavior graphs were established. The results show that the eye movement nodes of older drivers appear later in five scenarios, the operational nodes of older people appear later in two steering scenarios, and are closer to those of younger drivers in three straight ahead scenarios, indicating that older drivers were later in observing and collecting traffic information, and later in applying brakes and steering to avoid conflicts when steering. The study provides a reference for the analysis of driving behavior and driving safety of older people.