from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
-> According to a Mar. 7th L.A. Times article, "Older drivers may have a breadth of driving experience working for them behind the wheel. But a new study finds they tend to have a narrower field of vision than younger drivers and often miss developments on the curb or sidewalk that could demand their attention. The study, published online Monday by the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, found that drivers over 65 were half as likely to notice pedestrians near or moving toward the street as were experienced drivers between the ages of 28 and 45. Placing the two groups of drivers in a simulator and in front of videos taken from a driver’s eye view, researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev found that older drivers took longer to respond to road hazards as well."
"And compared to younger drivers simulating a drive through a variety of streetscapes, those over 65 tapped on their brakes in response to a ‘roadside hazard’ about half as often, suggesting either that they did not see it or that they did not consider it something they needed to attend to. The good news (unless you’re driving behind one of these motor vehicle operators and you’re late for an appointment) is that the older drivers drive more slowly — about 20% more slowly — perhaps to compensate for shortcomings in their peripheral vision and attention…"
Source: https://tinyurl.com/6dnjgp6
-> "’Motor vehicle crashes are still the leading cause of death for from ages 3 through 34. They are taking our youngest people away. There are 93 deaths every day, one death every 16 minutes."
— Dr. Federico Vaca, professor of emergency medicine, Yale School of Medicine
https://tinyurl.com/6eapseb
Biking in Baltimore