On Thursday, 22 January we discussed: “… as we get older we get slower and our cognitive functions decline. Can we still be safe drivers? What makes a safe driver in the first place? “
First we watched this interesting and well-presented documentary from the Japanese News Channel, NHK World. It was originally for Japanese audiences but has been dubbed into English with English language diagrams.
“Braking Point: The Science of Safe Driving as We Age
Today’s Close-Up
For many elderly Japanese, a car provides vital access to daily necessities and essential services. While many remain confident in the safety of their driving, their families often become concerned with the decline in their cognitive and physical functions. Should they keep their driver’s license or give it up? It’s a question given added urgency by a spate of accidents involving older drivers. Researchers are hoping to provide an answer with a new body of data-driven work that has given rise to the idea of the “driving lifespan” – the years during which someone can continue to safely operate a vehicle. We take a look at what the latest science shows and ask an expert what people can do to extend their driving lifespan as much as possible.“
The documentary highlights that people’s confidence in their driving ability seems to increase with age. This is a problem! It acknowledges that driving is a life-line for many old people and offers tips on how to counteract some of the slip-ups created by age related cognitive decline. We discussed changes to rules governing driving license renewal in Spain. Until recently, licenses were renewed every 5 or 10 years, but now their validity may be shortened depending on the results of tests carried out at the driving test centre. Restrictions may be imposed, such as limiting driving distances and banning night driving (as mentioned in the Japanese documentary). Chris suggested that members could share their experiences when renewing their licenses.
We watched this video which describes machines similar to those used at the test centres . These machines test a driver’s coordination and attention focus while multitasking. (Note: If this video doesn’t have captions in English, watch it on YouTube)
We also watched a video which attempts to simulate the test. You’ll need a couple of chopsticks to try it out!
We discussed whether you could improve your test scores by playing shoot ’em up computer games. Perhaps…
Finally we discussed recent changes to laws governing electric scooters (patinetes) and electric bicycles. There is still a lot of confusion about what types of bikes these rules apply to and how to get necessary insurance.