CONFIDENCE IN, AND SELF-RATING OF, DRIVING ABILITY AMONG OLDER DRIVERS

Active drivers (n=125) in a representative cohort of older individuals age 77 years and older in New Haven, Connecticut were interviewed. Co nfidence in different driving situations, self-rating of driving abili ty, and driving patterns were assessed during these in-person intervie ws. A history of crashes, moving violations and being stopped by polic e was available for approximately the past 6 years. Concurrent driving performance was assessed in a subsample (n=35). Analyses focused on d etermining the relationship of confidence and self-rating of driving a bility to: (1) each other; (2) driving patterns; (3) adverse driving e vents; and (4) driving performance. All participants rated themselves as being average or above average drivers compared to others their age , with the majority rating themselves as above average. Individuals wh o drove more miles and more frequently were more likely to rate themse lves better drivers than same-age peers. Individuals who rated themsel ves as ''much better'' drivers than their peers tended to have higher confidence levels than those who rated themselves a ''little bit bette r'' or the ''same'' as other drivers. On-road driving performance and history of adverse events were not associated with self-ratings of dri ving ability. Confidence was associated with driving frequency and mil eage, but not age or education. Although men were more likely to drive under risky conditions, for those conditions in which each drove, men and women were equally confident. No relationship was found between c onfidence and adverse driving events or driving performance. Understan ding the relationship of confidence and self-rating of driving ability to driving patterns, adverse events and driving performance may provi de additional insights into identifying older drivers at increased ris k for problems and formulating intervention strategies to help lower r isk. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.