Older, mature motorists worse at texting while driving than younger counterparts

A new study has recently revealed that older and mature motorists are worse at texting while driving than their younger counterparts.

The study done by Wayne State University interdisciplinary research team in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences "The Effects of Texting on Driving Performance in a Driving Simulator: The Influence of Driver Age" explores the relationship between texting, driving performance and age.

Randall Commissaris, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences and Doreen Head, assistant professor of occupational therapy, said the results were surprising because they contradict those of other studies examining the connection between age and distracted driving.

Generally, people believe that younger drivers are more easily distracted and therefore would be more susceptible to the dangers of texting and driving, however, the study which included drivers ranging in age from 18 to 59, demonstrated just the opposite, he further added.

He then mentioned that although texting while driving had a negative impact on drivers of all ages, younger drivers were less distracted by texting, and older drivers' performance was much worse because of their texting.

On average, about 50 percent of all subjects had lane excursions, or crossed from one lane to another, while texting. But what shocked Commissaris and Head most was that as the age of drivers increased, so did the percentage of lane excursions.

One hundred percent of drivers who were between 45 and 59 years old made lane excursions while texting as compared to about 80 percent of subjects between 35 and 44, almost 40 percent of participants between 25 and 34, and nearly 25 percent of drivers between 18 and 24.

Researchers also found that texting while driving in the simulator affected drivers' attitudes about the dangers of texting and driving. Before the study, all 50 participants agreed that texting and driving was dangerous. After the study, 60 percent believed that texting while driving was even more dangerous than they originally thought it was.

The study suggested that providing people with the opportunity to experience the effects of texting while driving firsthand helps raise awareness of the risks associated with texting and driving and may have the potential to reduce this dangerous behavior among drivers of all ages.

The study is published online.