Improving the Safety of Older Road Users (2005)

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This report has provided a “snapshot” of programs and poli- cies in place across the nation to improve the safety and mobility of older road users. Given the projected aging of the population over the next 20 to 30 years, and older adults’ greater vulnerability to injury and death from traffic crashes, it is critical that states and communities begin constructing a transportation system that accommodates a very different “design user” than has been the norm. This is especially crit- ical in the United States, where transportation is dominated by the personal automobile. The scope of the synthesis included national, state, and local policies and programs in five key areas: planning, road- way and traffic engineering, driver licensing, education, and enforcement. Given this breadth, it was not possible to cap- ture all of the details within each area. However, it is believed that enough detail has been provided to inspire and challenge states and communities to expand their activities to improve older road user safety and mobility. To accomplish the goals of this synthesis, short surveys were developed for four target audiences: state departments of transportation (DOTs), state motor vehicle departments, Governor’s Highway Safety Offices (HSOs), and state units on aging. The response rate was highest for the motor vehi- cle department survey, yielding responses from 34 jurisdic- tions. The Governor’s HSO and DOT surveys each yielded 24 returns, whereas the state units on aging survey produced 18 returns. To some extent, the lower than desirable response rates may reflect the “novelty” of the topic area for some of the targeted audiences. Nevertheless, the surveys that were returned generated a wealth of information for incorporation into the report. A literature search, Internet search, and follow- up telephone contacts and interviews yielded additional information. Not unexpectedly, much of the reported activity has occurred quite recently. Each of the older road user planning documents highlighted was prepared since 1999, and FHWA’s Older Driver Highway Design Workshops have all been conducted since 1998. In addition, many of the national organizations that appear so prominently in this synthesis report—American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), American Automobile Association (AAA), Amer- ican Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, American Medical Association, Alzheimer’s Association, American Occupational Therapy Association, and others—have only recently taken on the challenge of “Safe Mobility, for Life,” 60 set forth in the 1997 DOT report, Improving Transportation Safety for a Maturing Society. The following themes stand out across the many programs and initiatives highlighted in this document: • The challenge of providing safe mobility for an aging population does not rest with any single agency or orga- nization. Rather, it cuts across public and private sec- tors and across national, state, and local boundaries. • Some of the greatest successes have resulted from part- nerships across and among government agencies and private-sector organizations; for example, driver license offices working with the medical community, planning departments with senior groups, and law enforcement with community safety programs. To some extent this has always been characteristic of traffic safety pro- grams; however, it is especially evident with respect to programs for the older road user. • As a corollary to the previous item, the most effective comprehensive programs to improve safety for older road users involve multiple partners and strong work- ing coalitions, including input and participation from the public; that is, the older adults themselves. • At the same time, there is a need for strong leadership to guide and motivate action. In some cases, this may be a single individual in a single agency or organiza- tion; in other cases, it may result from departmental or legislative policy. • Although the federal government, and more specifically the U.S.DOT (including NHTSA and FHWA), has pro- vided strong overall guidance and support for older road user safety and mobility initiatives, ultimately it is at the state and local levels where programs are activated. • Although some very successful programs and policies have been implemented, it is clear that no single pro- gram can solve the problem. That is why this synthesis report encompassed planning, engineering, driver licens- ing, education, and enforcement initiatives. • Finally, there are many states doing many good things for the older road user. California, Florida, Iowa, Mary- land, Michigan, and Oregon were all identified as “good practice” states, and other states also figured prominently in this report. However, there are still many states and many communities where older road user safety and mobility is not being directly addressed. CHAPTER NINE CONCLUSIONS

61 Currently, with regard to raw numbers, older road users do not stand out as a pressing highway safety problem, at least not when compared with other problem areas such as the young driver, the impaired driver, or the unbelted occu- pant. This point was emphasized by DOTs as well as HSO respondents. However, older road users are a problem when one considers their increased risk of serious or fatal injury and their expected growth in numbers over the next two to three decades. A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety predicted that by the year 2030 one in four drivers killed in crashes will be age 65 or older. The following research and programmatic suggestions are offered to better prepare the transportation safety community for the future: • Given that many of the changes needed to improve safety and mobility for older road users require changes in agency policies or programs, as well as financial back- ing, it is important that state and local initiatives have “top down” commitment and support from the highest level of involved agencies. • Although many policies and programs have been described in this synthesis report, few have been for- mally evaluated. To persuade more agencies and orga- nizations to engage in older road user safety initiatives, evidence of the effectiveness of these programs in reducing crashes and injuries and/or increasing mobil- ity, health, and quality of life is needed. • To the extent possible, efforts should focus on identify- ing and promoting programs that benefit all road users and not just the elderly. Also, to promote greater inter- est in older road user safety initiatives, consideration could be given to widening the identified target audi- ence and/or not defining the audience specifically on the basis of age (e.g., as AARP has done with its Driver Safety Program). • Opportunities for individuals from different professional backgrounds to come together to exchange ideas and identify common areas of interest with respect to older road users could be fostered at the national, state, and local levels. Broad-based coalitions, cross-disciplinary conferences, and special issues of journals and other publications targeting professionals in the field can all help to create opportunities for future collaborative efforts. • Related to the previous recommendation, public input should be sought at all levels of program development, from the initial planning stage to materials development to program implementation and evaluation. • Safer roadways are a critical component to improving older road user safety. DOTs might ensure that traffic engineers at both the state and local levels are knowl- edgeable of highway design and traffic operation prac- tices for maximizing the safety of older road users. Reg- ular participation in available FHWA training workshops is encouraged. • If the United States is to be prepared for the expected large growth in elderly road users over the coming decades, states must immediately begin to plan for an aging road user population, improve their roadways, modify the driver licensing process, and educate the public about their responsibilities as road users. The aging road user population creates both safety and mobility challenges. Addressing these challenges will require a comprehensive and multifaceted approach. This synthesis report has reviewed activities in five important areas: com- prehensive planning, roadway design and traffic engineering, driver licensing, driver education and improvement, and enforcement/adjudication. In each of these areas, activities have taken place at the national, state, and local levels. Most notably, they have been carried out by a diverse mix of gov- ernment agencies and private-sector organizations. Bringing these resources together will be the key to meeting the chal- lenge of providing safe mobility, for life.