Aging & Mobility
The 21st Century Challenge
Why should concerns about older drivers interest anyone besides the elderly? Because in a very short time, the numbers of older drivers on our roads will more than double.
By 2030, people age 65 and older are expected to represent 25 percent of the driving population and 25 percent of fatal crash involvements, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
In 2002, there were 19.9 million licensed drivers age 70 and older in the United States, or 10 percent of all licensed drivers, According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Older drivers have higher rates of fatal crashes, based on miles driven, than any other group except very young drivers. The high death rate is due to their greater physical frailty (they are less likely to survive after an injury than a younger person).
When people with diminished capabilities continue to drive, an increased safety risk is created for all members of society. However, the 21st century challenge of aging and driving is not only about public safety, it's about mobility, dignity and independence for a growing number of older adults.
People outlive their ability to drive: men, an average of six years; women an
average of 11 years. More than one in five Americans aged 65 or more do not drive.
When older drivers lose their wheels, they can become isolated, even depressed. Non-drivers leave the house–-even to take a walk–-fewer than three times a week, according to an AARP study. This decreased access to social activities, medical care, shopping, and other services critical to living independently also has a negative economic and cultural impact on their communities.
Half of all non-drivers aged 65 or more stay home because they have no mobility options. Many cannot choose to take public transportation because service is not available in their areas, particularly in rural and small towns.
A 2002 survey of adults aged 50 and older found that many older people are self-conscious about asking for rides. About half said that "feelings of dependency" and "concerns about imposing on others" were problems (Ritter, Straight and Evans, 2002)
The rapid growth of the oldest segment of our population is creating special transportation challenges but, our current transportation systems were not designed for large numbers of elderly travelers. Often, the same physical and functional difficulties that lead to the older driver's failing ability to drive safely make it difficult for him or her to use mass transit. So, for many older drivers, the mobility dilemma can boil down to: "Do I continue to drive even when driving begins to pose safety risks for myself and others?" Faced with this predicament, most elder drivers voluntarily limit or stop driving, but some do continue to drive. Education, monitoring and intervention by family, friends, physicians, and the DMV then become critical.
If more senior-friendly, efficient mobility options were
available, chances are at--risk elder drivers would more readily stop driving
voluntarily. Therein lies the 21st century challenge: communities must begin now
to design and implement a variety of transportation alternatives to ensure that
our growing population of elders have an equally accessible and mobile
life-after-driving.
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Ezra Ochshorn, writing for the
Christian Science Monitor in September 2003, outlines a possible "roadmap" to solutions:
"Invest heavily in public transportation to reduce dependence on automobiles. It is an inhumane recipe for disaster to insist that a senior stop driving without offering an affordable, reliable transportation alternative.
Design roadways and cars to accommodate the reduced
vision and slower reflexes of elder drivers (safety measures that would aid
younger drivers as well). For example, add larger road signs, wider highway
lanes, and bigger car mirrors.
Publicize the warning signs of diminished road
competence for aging drivers so they and their families can better identify them
and take action before tragedies occur.
Increase physician education about medical conditions
that can impair older patients' driving skills. Train physicians to refer
seniors for further evaluation when a clear risk to personal and public health
exists.
Develop comprehensive, objective,
technologically sophisticated driver evaluations to replace
simplistic vision and road tests. Given the tremendous
variation between individuals and degree of impairment, it
should not be age or diagnosis alone that determines whether
drivers keep their licenses.
Expand driver rehabilitation programs and laws that
grant restricted licenses, allowing seniors to keep driving as long as safely
possible.
Address the adjustment problems faced by the 600,000
older persons forced to stop driving each year - a number that will mushroom in
coming decades. Significant social isolation and depression are common among
these people, and that, in turn, can trigger major health problems."
Some will argue that these recommendations are too costly to implement. I suggest that unless large-scale action is taken now to accommodate our rapidly aging population, we will pay far more in years to come, both in dollars and in lost lives."
Read full text of the CSM article: http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/us/driving.htm
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Suggestions For Further Reading:
"Aging Americans: Stranded Without Options"
Released in 2004 by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, in collaboration with AARP.
http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=232
"Transportation-Disadvantaged Seniors: Efforts
to Enhance Senior Mobility Could Benefit from Additional Guidance and
Information."
From the Federal Government's General Accountability
Office. Detailed info on current federal mobility programs, practices that
enhance mobility, cost-effectiveness, and strategies to overcome obstacles. http://www.gao.gov/htext/d04971.html
Age and Accidents:
An analysis of statewide crash statistics
from 2002 (the most recent available) reveals that 19-year-old
drivers are involved in the most crashes. Seniors' rates of crashes
are lower, but once drivers turn 78, risk increases greatly and grow
higher after 85. http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/us/road.htm
Special Licensing Laws for Teenage and Senior
Drivers Favored by Most Americans
Report by the Insurance Research Council
http://www.ircweb.org
Elderly Drivers, State At Crossroads Over
Safety
By Michael Reed, Daytona Beach News-Journal
July 11, 2004
http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/us/2004/driver.htm
