Pedal misapplications by older drivers induced by difficulty with inhibition function

Pedal error, i.e., pedal misapplication, while driving is a major problem, particularly for older drivers. Psychological studies on aging and cognition have shown that the cognitive functions of older people are different from those of younger people. Therefore, pedal error may be related to the cognitive functions, which are affected by aging. We investigated the cognitive aspect of pedal misapplication, focusing on the age-related differences in the inhibition function. Our results indicate that inhibition in a Stroop task was larger in older people. Furthermore, the reaction time in a shifting foot pedal task was longer for older people than for younger people, suggesting that older drivers are more likely to make a pedal error. Therefore, to prevent pedal misapplication, an interface with several countermeasures that take into account age-related differences in the inhibition function should be developed.