認知機能が低下した高齢運転者は同乗者がいると事故を起こしにくい

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2025-04-15 筑波大学

筑波大学医学医療系の市川政雄教授らの研究チームは、認知機能が低下した高齢運転者において、同乗者がいる場合、事故を起こすリスクが低下する可能性があることを明らかにしました。2014年から2017年に認知機能検査を受けた75歳以上の運転者のデータを分析した結果、事故時に同乗者がいるケースでは、運転者が過失の大きい「第1当事者」となる割合が低いことが分かりました。この傾向は、認知機能の程度や性別にかかわらず一貫しており、事故発生に寄与する他の要因(年齢、過去の事故経験、事故時の時間帯・天候・場所)に大きな違いは見られませんでした。この結果は、同乗者が高齢運転者の安全運転に重要な役割を果たしている可能性を示唆しています。研究成果は、Journal of Safety Research誌に掲載されました。

認知機能が低下した高齢運転者は同乗者がいると事故を起こしにくい
男⼥別・認知機能検査結果別に⾒た⾞両相互事故で第 1 当事者になる(事故を起こす)リスクと同乗者の有無との関連
調整オッズ⽐は、第 1 当事者のうち事故時に同乗者がいた⼈といなかった⼈の⽐と第 2 当事者における ⽐の⽐(オッズ⽐)に対して、事故の発⽣に寄与しうる要因(年齢、過去の事故経験、事故時の運転⽬的・時間帯・天候・場所)を調整した指標。これが 1 を下回る場合、第 1 当事者より第 2 当事者の⽅が⾼い割合で同乗者を伴っていたことを意味し、同乗者を伴っていた⽅が⾞両相互事故で第 1 当事者になりにくい可能性を⽰唆している。

<関連情報>

認知機能低下の有無にかかわらず、高齢ドライバーにおける同乗者の有無と過失衝突リスクとの関連性 Association between the presence of passengers and at-fault crash risk among older drivers with and without cognitive decline

Masao Ichikawa, Haruhiko Inada, Hanae Kosuge, Nobuaki Takubo
Journal of Safety Research  Available online: 10 April 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2025.04.002

Highlights

  • The potential role of passengers in the safety of older drivers was investigated.
  • The presence of passengers was associated with lower at-fault crash risk.
  • This association was observed among older drivers, regardless of their cognitive status.

Abstract

Introduction: Older drivers, especially those with cognitive decline, should be supported in continuing to drive safely, given their lowered driving abilities, limited alternative transportation options, and the adverse health outcomes associated with driving cessation. One potential strategy to reduce crash risk is having passengers as co-pilots. Therefore, we investigated whether the presence of passengers was associated with at-fault crash risk among older drivers with different cognitive statuses. Methods: Using nationwide police-reported crash data linked with driver licensing data, which includes cognitive assessment results at license renewal, for all licensed drivers aged 75 years or older in Japan, we conducted a culpability analysis among those involved in car-to-car crashes from 2014 to 2020. The analysis compared the exposure status (presence of passengers at the time of crash) between drivers responsible for the crash and drivers not responsible. We used logistic regression to estimate at-fault crash risk associated with passengers, controlling for potential confounders, separately for male or female drivers with suspected dementia, slight cognitive decline, or no cognitive decline. Results: Our crash data included 108,945 responsible and 56,783 non-responsible drivers. Among male drivers, 15% to 16% of responsible drivers and 29% to 33% of non-responsible drivers were accompanied by passengers at the time of crash, depending on their cognitive status. Among female drivers, 10% to 11% of responsible drivers and 26% to 27% of non-responsible drivers had passengers. The strength of the association did not vary largely across cognitive statuses among both male and female drivers, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 0.36 to 0.43 for males and from 0.30 to 0.32 for females. Conclusion: The presence of passengers was associated with lower at-fault crash risk among older drivers, regardless of their cognitive status. Practical applications: Our findings suggest the potential role of passengers in enhancing the safety of older drivers.

医療・健康
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