Problems with Sleep Do Not Predict Self-Reported Driving Factors and Perception in Older Drivers: Evidences from the Candrive II Prospective Cohort

Given that sleep problems and serious motor vehicle collisions are increasingly prevalent in older adults, even minor drowsiness could potentially contribute to driving patterns in older drivers. To date, it is unknown whether less serious problems with sleep influence driving frequency and ability in older adults. We investigated the influence of everyday sleep disturbances on driving practices and driver perceptions in a large cohort of healthy older drivers. Selfreported measures of sleep problems were used to investigate the influence of sleep disturbance on self-reported driving practices and perceived driving abilities. On two measures of self-reported driving outcomes, participants with problems with rated themselves more poorly. However, this relationship disappeared when health and demographic variables were entered prior in hierarchical regression analyses. Our results show that the relationship between sleep problems, driving frequency and perceived abilities is better explained by mediating demographic, health, and cognitive factors

Stereotypes About Drivers: Study with Comparative Questions

Previous research showed the existence of stereotypes about drivers from different demographic categories, such as stereotypes about female drivers and older drivers. The combination of the two, however, has not been previously explored. This study examined stereotypes about drivers by looking at how perceptions about drivers of different genders are affected by the age category to which they belong. Subjective beliefs about drivers were examined by asking participants to imagine two people who approach a car. The two people in the dyad differed in their gender and age (young, middle-aged, and old). Participants were asked to estimate which of the two drivers in the dyad was more likely to take the wheel. Additionally, participants expressed their subjective opinion about which member of the dyad was the safest of the two drivers. Results showed that, in comparison with men of the same age, women were consistently seen as less likely to drive. Among all combinations of age and gender, older women were believed to be the least likely to take the wheel. The perceived likelihood of taking the wheel was weakly associated with the perceived safety of a driver in most comparisons. Combined influence of gender and age misconceptions about driving a car strongly influenced the judgments which were made, especially when stereotypes about older drivers were merged with those about female drivers, resulting in a particularly negative older female driver stereotype. The findings clearly indicate that driving is still considered to be a man’s prerogative, since men are seen as most likely to drive when compared to women of the same age, and are also almost always rated the safest drivers