Differences in Elderly Drivers’ Vision Possibly Contributes to Accidents

Los Angeles car accident attorneys have always known that diminished eyesight and vision in older drivers increases the risk of an accident. However, new research indicates that it's not just diminished eyesight, but also heightened awareness of background movement that could possibly increase the risk of an accident for elderly motorists. The results of the study have been published in the January issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

The study conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester, found that elderly drivers have an enhanced ability to perceive motion in the background, as compared to younger drivers. Younger drivers can concentrate better on objects that are in the foreground, because of increased activity in a section of the brain, called the medial temporal visual area. These drivers are therefore better able to see bicyclists, pedestrians and other objects in the foreground. In comparison, older drivers may have impaired function of the medial temporal visual area, and as a result, may not be able to concentrate as hard on objects moving in the foreground. Elderly drivers, in contrast, may be better able to focus on objects that are in the background.

The research provides fresh insight into the visual problems affecting older drivers, and how these drivers can be trained to drive safely. The researchers used a technique called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. They attached magnetic coils to the back of the person's head, and stimulated the medial temporal visual area of the brain with electrical signals for a period of 15 minutes to impair this portion of the brain. When the medial temporal visual area was in this state of impairment, the researchers tested how well the subjects identified movement of objects.

According to the findings, when the medial temporal visual area was less active, the persons were able to easily identify the movement of objects in the background.

The research seems to indicate some very basic neurological reasons why elderly drivers find it so difficult to spot certain objects on the road. It seems to indicate that elderly drivers are much better at detecting large-scale movement in the background, than small objects in the foreground, like bicyclists or pedestrians. Pedestrians and bicyclists can be easy to miss because of their narrow frames. This poses a serious challenge to elderly drivers, because of their impaired median temporal visual area.