How important is vehicle safety for older consumers in the vehicle purchase process?

TY - JOUR

T1 - How important is vehicle safety for older consumers in the vehicle purchase process?

AU - Koppel, Sjaanie Narelle

AU - Clark, Belinda Elizabeth

AU - Hoareau, Effie

AU - Charlton, Judith Lynne

AU - Newstead, Stuart Vaughan

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - This study aimed to investigate the importance of vehicle safety to older consumers in the vehicle purchase process. Methods: Older (n = 102), middle-aged (n = 791), and younger (n = 109) participants throughout the eastern Australian states of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland who had recently purchased a new or used vehicle completed an online questionnaire about their vehicle purchase process. Results: When asked to list the 3 most important considerations in the vehicle purchase process (in an open-ended format), older consumers were mostly likely to list price as their most important consideration (43 ). Similarly, when presented with a list of vehicle factors (such as price, design, Australasian New Car Assessment Program [ANCAP] rating), older consumers were most likely to identify price as the most important vehicle factor (36 ). When presented with a list of vehicle features (such as automatic transmission, braking, air bags), older consumers in the current study were most likely to identify an antilock braking system (41 ) as the most important vehicle feature, and 50 percent of older consumers identified a safety-related vehicle feature as the highest priority vehicle feature (50 ). When asked to list up to 3 factors that make a vehicle safe, older consumers in the current study were most likely to list braking systems (35 ), air bags (22 ), and the driver s behavior or skill (11 ).

AB - This study aimed to investigate the importance of vehicle safety to older consumers in the vehicle purchase process. Methods: Older (n = 102), middle-aged (n = 791), and younger (n = 109) participants throughout the eastern Australian states of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland who had recently purchased a new or used vehicle completed an online questionnaire about their vehicle purchase process. Results: When asked to list the 3 most important considerations in the vehicle purchase process (in an open-ended format), older consumers were mostly likely to list price as their most important consideration (43 ). Similarly, when presented with a list of vehicle factors (such as price, design, Australasian New Car Assessment Program [ANCAP] rating), older consumers were most likely to identify price as the most important vehicle factor (36 ). When presented with a list of vehicle features (such as automatic transmission, braking, air bags), older consumers in the current study were most likely to identify an antilock braking system (41 ) as the most important vehicle feature, and 50 percent of older consumers identified a safety-related vehicle feature as the highest priority vehicle feature (50 ). When asked to list up to 3 factors that make a vehicle safe, older consumers in the current study were most likely to list braking systems (35 ), air bags (22 ), and the driver s behavior or skill (11 ).

UR - http://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/15389588.2012.740642

U2 - 10.1080/15389588.2012.740642

DO - 10.1080/15389588.2012.740642

M3 - Article

VL - 14

SP - 592

EP - 601

JO - Traffic Injury Prevention

JF - Traffic Injury Prevention

SN - 1538-9588

IS - 6

ER -