The Philippines may be renowned for many things, but one thing that people may not really know is that it is arguably home to the best drivers in the world. Filipino drivers regularly face horrifying traffic, depressing road conditions, and questionably moral traffic officers. In addition to this, they have to contend with all sorts of drivers. There are bus drivers who have a fondness for drag racing, jeepney drivers who constantly switch lanes as if they were rushing to go to the bathroom, motorcycle drivers who keep weaving in and out of traffic with reckless abandon, just to name a few. Aside from these driver stereotypes, there is also the notion of lolo and lola drivers taking their leisurely time in the car while a kilometer’s worth of road behind them is filled with angry, impatient drivers.
In a 2007 study conducted by a large team of researchers, it was found that elderly drivers with impaired visual attention are more likely to avoid driving than unimpaired drivers. Older drivers who had an elevated risk of having car accidents practiced self-regulation of driving more than their low-risk counterparts. Although elderly women were more likely than elderly male drivers to avoid challenging driving situations, it was found that both male and female participants had similar tendencies of modifying their frequency of driving when impaired visual attention factored in. The males’ inclination to undertake more challenging driving situations is seen to be potentially related to their propensity for risk-taking and stimulus seeking.
Ahh, the simple joys of driving.
These findings were obtained by administering two tests, namely the Driving Habits Questionnaire (DHQ), and the Useful Field of Vision (UFOV) test. Though it may sound self-explanatory, the DHQ in this particular study was used to measure their driving avoidance behavior, while the UFOV is a computer-based measure of visual attention and information processing speed. The results obtained from the UFOV are particularly strong predictors of driving behaviors in older adults, wherein poor performance is related to increased risk of involvement in car accidents. (Oh how I wish there was a test in existence that can prove to some idiots that they aren’t road-worthy drivers… Maybe someday driving in the Philippines will be a much more pleasant experience without them polluting the roads with themselves and their cars. Someday, hopefully.)
I guess I can generally agree with the findings of this study. It makes quite a lot of sense that elderly people who have a more difficult time in regulating their visual attention would be more restrictive of their driving excursions. The constant shifting and dividing of attention for what seems to be a simple drive must be really taxing on the older folks. With the inevitable decline of one’s vision and the eyes' ability to accommodate in older age because of the hardening of the lens and the weakening of the ciliary muscles, it is no surprise that older drivers usually choose to drive under better conditions. So even though some of these elder drivers may seem to have been alive when the wheel was invented, please, bear with them. Perhaps these lolos and lolas who believe they can still see well enough to drive are just exercising caution by moving at a snail’s pace, since they find it harder to pay attention to everything on the road and all.
He's probably just resting his eyes.
Okonkwo, O.C., Wadley, V.G., Crowe, M., Roenker, D.L., Ball, K. (2007). Self-Regulation of driving in the context of impaired visual attention: Are there gender differences? Rehabilitation Psychology, 52 (4), 421-428.
Images from:
http://chuvacosmo.blogspot.com
http://www.badlydrawnboysite.blogspot.com
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