Measuring situational avoidance in older drivers: An application of Rasch analysis

Situational avoidance is a form of driving self-regulation at the strategic level of driving behaviour. It has typically been defined as the purposeful avoidance of driving situations perceived as challenging or potentially hazardous. To date, assessment of the psychometric properties of existing scales that measure situational avoidance has been sparse. This study examined the contribution of Rasch analysis to the situational avoidance construct. Three hundred and ninety-nine Australian drivers (M=66.75, SD=10.14, range: 48-91 years) completed the Situational Avoidance Questionnaire (SAQ). Following removal of the item Parallel Parking, the scale conformed to a Rasch model, showing good person separation, sufficient reliability, little disordering of thresholds, and no evidence of differential item functioning by age or gender. The residuals were independent supporting the assumption of unidimensionality and in conforming to a Rasch model, SAQ items were found to be hierarchical or cumulative. Increased avoidance was associated with factors known to be related to driving self-regulation more broadly, including older age, female gender, reduced driving space and frequency, reporting a change in driving in the past five years and poorer indices of health (i.e., self-rated mood, vision and cognitive function). Overall, these results support the use of the SAQ as a psychometrically sound measure of situational avoidance. Application of Rasch analysis to this area of research advances understanding of the driving self-regulation construct and its practice by drivers in baby boomer and older adult generations.

Avoidance Behavior Is an Independent Indicator of Poorer On-road Driving Skills in Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the current work was to investigate the relationship between avoidance of specific driving situations and on-road driving skills in older drivers considering factors found to be related to both avoidance behavior and driving skills.

METHOD

Seventy-two older drivers (M = 76 years) from the general population were included in this study. Self-reported avoidance behavior, driving practice, perceived driving difficulties, driving-related cognitive functions, as well as medical conditions were assessed within two sessions. Standardized on-road assessments served for assessing on-road driving skills in a third session.

RESULTS

Self-reported avoidance behavior was associated with reduced driving skills (r = -.41), and this relationship remained significant beyond the influence of cognitive skills, self-reported health, driving practice, and perceived driving difficulties. Specifically, avoidance of driving in bad weather, poor visibility and complicated parking was found to be associated with reduced driving skills.

DISCUSSION

This study suggest that avoidance behavior is an independent indicator of impaired driving skills in older drivers. Our results argue against the assumption that avoidance behavior may be a reasonable strategy for safe traffic participation. Longitudinal studies are urgently needed to get more evidence on safety aspects of avoidance behavior.

Identifying compensatory driving behavior among older adults using the situational avoidance questionnaire

INTRODUCTION

Driving self-regulation is considered a means through which older drivers can compensate for perceived declines in driving skill or more general feelings of discomfort on the road. One form of driving self-regulation is situational avoidance, the purposeful avoidance of situations perceived as challenging or potentially hazardous. This study aimed to validate the Situational Avoidance Questionnaire (SAQ, Davis, Conlon, Ownsworth, & Morrissey, 2016) and identify the point on the scale at which drivers practicing compensatory avoidance behavior could be distinguished from those whose driving is unrestricted, or who are avoiding situations for other, non-compensatory reasons (e.g., time or convenience).

METHOD

Seventy-nine Australian drivers (M_age=71.48, SD=7.16, range: 55 to 86years) completed the SAQ and were classified as a compensatory-restricted or a non-restricted driver based on a semi-structured interview designed to assess the motivations underlying avoidance behavior reported on the SAQ.

RESULTS

Using receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analysis, the SAQ was found to have high diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity: 85%, specificity: 82%) in correctly classifying the driver groups. Group comparisons confirmed that compensatory-restricted drivers were self-regulating their driving behavior to reduce the perceived demands of the driving task. This group had, on average, slower hazard perception reaction times, and reported greater difficulty with driving, more discomfort when driving due to difficulty with hazard perception skills, and greater changes in cognition over the past five years.

CONCLUSIONS

The SAQ is a psychometrically sound measure of situational avoidance for drivers in baby boomer and older adult generations.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Use of validated measures of driving self-regulation that distinguish between compensatory and non-compensatory behavior, such as the SAQ, will advance our understanding of the driving self-regulation construct and its potential safety benefits for older road users.