Challenges for older drivers: Workload and risky behavior in simulated six-lane urban bidirectional road conflict scenarios

This study aims to investigate older drivers’ driving workload, risky driving behavior characteristics, and their interrelationships. It further examines how driving workload, demographic characteristics, and driving fitness influence risky driving behaviors, providing a theoretical foundation for the safety management of older drivers. A typical bidirectional six-lane urban road scenario was constructed to conduct a driving simulation experiment involving various conflict situations under both left-turn and right-turn conditions. Behavioral data of older drivers were collected to analyze and evaluate their driving fitness, driving workload, and risky driving behavior performance. A generalized linear mixed model was employed to examine the underlying mechanisms between the different variables and risky driving behaviors. The findings indicated that older drivers exhibited higher operational intensity in left-turn scenarios, whereas their risky driving behavior indicators were generally lower in pedestrian conflict situations. The workload during motorcycle and pedestrian conflict scenarios was significantly higher than that in car conflict situations. Moreover, the self-reported workload in left-turn maneuvers was significantly higher than in right turns. GLMM analysis revealed that the mental demand dimension of workload significantly affected risky driving behaviors. Furthermore, longer driving mileage and better driving fitness were significantly associated with fewer risky driving behaviors. The findings provide theoretical implications for older driver safety management and underscore the importance of incorporating driving fitness assessment and subjective workload monitoring into comprehensive safety management frameworks.