Can older drivers be ‘nudged’? How the public and private sectors can influence older drivers’ self-regulation

This reports considers how interventions, or ‘nudges’, based around insights from behavioural economics and psychology, can be used to assist older drivers in coping with the ageing process.

Today’s older people are driving further and more often than previous cohorts. Clearly, cars are vital for mobility. Maintaining mobility in later life helps to
delay the physical and mental decline associated with ageing, and is crucial for maintaining access to services, social connectivity, and fulfilling the various routines of daily life.

In being available at any hour, and providing door-to-door transport, cars offer benefits that would be impossible for public transport to fully replace.

While there is no evidence that older drivers per se are less safe behind the wheel, there are questions regarding the road safety of older drivers.

Physiological (including visual) and cognitive decline is certainly part of the ageing process, and may therefore impact on driving unless the right support systems are in place.