Transcript Livable Communities and Mobility Options

Promoting Driver Safety & Mobility Options
in Livable, Senior-Friendly Communities
North Carolina Conference on Aging
September 11, 2007
Fran Carlin-Rogers, Carlin Rogers Consulting, Orlando, Florida
Suzanne LaFollette-Black, North Carolina AARP
Jane Stutts, UNC Highway Safety Research Center
Phyllis Bridgeman, NC Division of Aging & Adult Services
Goals of Today’s Workshop
Have a basic understanding of how
promoting driver safety and mobility issues
are integral to advancing livable, senior
friendly communities
Become familiar with the array of safe
driving and mobility programs, resources
and options available to older adults in
their communities
White House Conference on Aging 2005
Select Top Ranked Recommendations
 # 3 Transportation Options:
“ Ensure that Older Americans have transportation options to retain
their mobility and independence”
 # 47 Capacity for Safe Driving:
“ Support Older Drivers to Retain Mobility and Independence
through Strategies to Continue Safe Driving”
Source: www.whcoa.gov
National Overview
More older people
More of them will be driving
Driving more miles than ever before
Driving at older ages than ever before
More women driving
Few real alternatives to driving
The Issue…
Consider This…
 As a group, older drivers are safe
 Self-regulation & necessary reductions in driving
work for most
 Still, due to increased frailty, older adults are
more likely to die when involved in car crashes
 Increased frequency of medical conditions at
about age 55
 Increased frailties of age put elder @ greater
risk for serious injury or death
2001 National Household
Transportation Survey
 90% of all trips taken in automobile
 For individuals who stop driving, 1% use public
transportation
 1-2% of all seniors use of public transportation
 Bus use increases for long distance trips
(1% for 25-54 y.o to 6% for 75+)
 9% of Americans walk to their destinations
 Non drivers take far fewer & shorter trips
Important Issues
Most radical increase of at risk crashes
comes with medical conditions which
impact cognitive skills
Identification of drivers who are medically
at risk
Testing should be focused on ability,
not age!
It’s Not The Years….. It’s The Mileage!
Many diseases & conditions may
impair driving skill:
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Medication use
Effects of anesthesia & surgery
Vision (cataract, macular degeneration, glaucoma)
Cardiovascular (arrhythmias, CHF,Vavular HD)
Cerebrovascular (stroke, TIA, etc)
Neurologic (Brain tumor, Dementia,Migraine, Head
injury, Parkinson’s,MS, sleep disorders,seizures,etc)
 Metabolic ( diabetes, hyper/hypothyroidism)
 Respiratory (COPD, respiratory failure)
Source: NHTSA
Drivers with Cognitive Decline
May not restrict driving as others do
Lack of recognition of traffic situations
Confusion about environment
Driving environment is more complex
Crash risk is 7.6 times higher than healthy
drivers ( age matched)
Loss of appropriate reactions
Why a focus on driving?
At least two reasons:
 Older adults (like everyone else) are
highly dependent on cars for meeting
their transportation needs
 The safety of older drivers presents
special challenges.
Mode of Travel by Age
Driver
80
Passenger
Other
Percent of Trips
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
65-69
70-74
Source: 2001 NPTS, Unpublished Data
75-79
80-84
85+
Older Drivers Have Fewer Crashes
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
16-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65-74
75-84
85+
Driver Age
(Source NCSA, 2000)
Fatalities per 100 Crashes
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
16-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84
Source: Li, Braver and Chen, 2003
85+
Projections of Fatal Crash Involvements
by Age of Driver
16-64
65+
2030
24.9%
2020
20.0%
2010
14.8%
1999
13.7%
0
10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000
Source: Lyman et al., 2002
Projected Growth in
NC Population Age 65+
65-74
Population X1000
75-84
85+
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2004
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
Safety of NC Older Drivers
 Drivers age 65+ are 8% of all drivers in
crashes, but 18% of those killed in crashes.
 Over 27,000 older drivers are involved in
crashes each year in NC.
 On average, 150+ older drivers are killed in
crashes each year.
 These numbers have remained fairly stable
over the past several years – but this may
be changing.
(2001-2004 NC Crash Data)
Statewide: 28.6
What we want
Enable older drivers to make appropriate
driving choices that:
• Maximize personal and community
safety
• Utilize community options, when
needed, to maintain mobility
Our Goals
Keep older adults driving as long as
they can do so safely.
Maximize personal and community
safety.
Provide transportation options ,
when needed, to maintain mobility.
Today’s Situation
Most older adults modify driving behavior
voluntarily, but…..
• Some not soon enough
• Some too soon
• Some in the wrong way
Why is this important?
If they give up driving earlier they
may create MOBILITY problems
If they continue to drive when they
shouldn’t they will create SAFETY
problems
What Can Be Done?
Roadway improvements
Vehicle safety and design
Driver licensing
Driver education and awareness
Public awareness
Alternative transportation
Land use planning
Thank You!
Jane Stutts
[email protected]
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
Initiated by the UNC-CH Highway Safety
Research Center under a grant from the
Governor’s Highway Safety Program
Initial partners in 2004
[AARP and the Division of
Aging and Adult Services]
soon became 20 partners
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
 NC DOT traffic engineers
 NC DMV, Medical Evaluation Branch
 Physicians and Occupational Therapists
 NC Assistive Technology Program
 NC MS Society
 AAA Carolinas
 University researchers
 Law enforcement
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
 September 2005 – new role for the Coalition
 NC Executive Committee for Highway Safety,
Older Driver Working Group
 Examples of other issue groups:
Aggressive driving
Unlicensed drivers
Inattentive drivers
Speeding
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
 Identification of needs and ways a coalition
might respond
 Mission and membership
 Sharing of current programs & activities
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
Immediate focus on roadway
improvements and community awareness
Promoting safer roadways for older drivers,
especially signage
Raising general awareness among not only
older drivers and families, but also planners,
engineers, doctors, and other health care
professionals
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
Roadway improvements
Identification of locations where older drivers
were over-involved in crashes
5 sites selected for greater examination
Characteristics of crashes to identify common
factors for older drivers
Identifiable “fixes”?
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
Raising community awareness
Toolkit of resources and information
Broad array of information useful to many
different audiences
Community forums
DMV license examiner offices
Senior centers
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
Raising community awareness - 5
community forums across NC in 2006
Wilmington
Greensboro
Waynesville
RTP
Southern Pines
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
 Strategies of the Older Driver Working Group currently in
process
 Signage
 Roadway and driving environment
 Hazardous intersections for older drivers
 Senior driver safety website for NC
 Law enforcement capacity building
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
Accomplishments to date
Community forums in five pilot locations and
development of community toolkits
CarFit events
Training for DOT engineers on federal
guidelines for highway design for older drivers
and pedestrians
Identification of hazardous intersections to
serve as pilot for systematic upgrading to
improve safety
Law enforcement training
NC Senior Driver Safety Coalition
Future work
Working with health care professionals to
identify and assist high-risk drivers
Public education through a web site, DMV
materials, and adaptations of tool kit for
special audiences
Assistance to communities in forming local
coalitions
GAO Report: Older Driver Safety
07-413 April, 2007
“Older Driver Safety: Knowledge Sharing Should Help
States Prepare for Increase in Older Driver
Population”
www.gao.gov/new.items/d7413.pdf
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The title says it all!
Risk will increase with ↑ population;↑ ages; ↑ mileage
Drivers with dementia is a particular concern
States should be allowed to share information & best
practices
 Coalition & partnership strategies
Monash University
Elderly & Mobility: Literature Review
Recommend:
 Coordinated
approach
 Innovative strategies
 Mobility management
initiatives
Target Areas:
Safe (r) road users:
 Mgmt of at risk drivers
 Licensing procedures
 Education & training
Safe (r) vehicles:
 ↑crashworthiness
 Occupant protection
 ITS technology
Safe (r) roads:
Alternative
transportation options
Varying Approaches to Action…
 Florida
Community Center
model
Summits
Training
Community events
Legislative change
 California
Coalition
Pilot of 3 tier testing
 Missouri
Coalition team
Saturation strategy
Outcome measurement
 North Carolina
Coalition
Proactive
Summit
Community events
Transportation Resource Types:
Lifetime Choices
Community
Based
Private
Automobile
Driver or
passenger
Pedestrian/
Bicycle
Volunteer
Transportation
Programs
For Profit
Transit
Providers
Public
Only
Friends
&
Family
Medical
Transportation
Innovation
Models
Paratransit
Shared Cost Programs:
Public and Individual
Individual
Resources
Public
Transit
Community Transportation Critical
Success Factors
 Customer Satisfaction
 Safety
 Access
 Affordability
 Choices
 Best Practices
 Sustainability
 Outcomes:
Right Time
Right Places
Right Price
 Coordination
 Accountability
 Partnerships
It is Time for Your Community
To Take Action!
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Gather key stakeholders
Create partnerships
Coordinate efforts
Don’t reinvent the wheel!
Identify your community’s
critical success factors
 Create sustainability
 Measure the outcomes
of your efforts
Driver Safety Education Programs
AARP- on-line and classroom- 8 hours
AAA- Roadwise on-line and classroom-8
hours
AARP “We Need to Talk”-30-60 minute
seminar on family conversations about
older drivers
Carfit-12 point assessment checklist of
how driver fits in own car
DriveWell- community education
Resources Available
Driver education brochures from
AARP/AAA/DMV and others
Medical Transportation Toolkit and best
practices
Inventory of older adult resources
Livable Communities Evaluation Guide
AARP Mobility Toolkit/packet-forum
planning, riding the bus and pedestrian
guide, publications
What can you do in your community?
 Provide driver safety education and programs in
your community
 Advocate to expand and enhance federal, state
and local laws about mobility options.
 Implement “best practices” to engage community
partners to improve options
 Use the Livable Communities Evaluation Guide
to assess mobility, drivability and walking
accessibility
Next Steps…Outcomes
 Transportation options are expanded/integrated
 Offer a wide range of mobility options
 Enhance and expand mobility policy options
through Federal, state, and local laws.
 Inform and engage the public in understanding
and acting on the need for mobility options.
 Older drivers can drive safely as long as
possible with lessoned concern about the lack of
mobility options when they cease driving.
Under development – a senior driver
website for North Carolina
The Keys to Safe Driving
for Older Drivers and Drivers with Disabilities
Being over 40, but not over the hill
Exercises for mobility
Refresh your driving skills
A lifetime of safe driving
How does aging affect driving?
Trip planning
Does your car still fit?
Vehicle adaptations
Under development – a senior driver
website for North Carolina
The Keys to Safe Driving
for Older Drivers and Drivers with Disabilities
Being medically at risk
Medications
Health problems
Mental changes
Driver Rehabilitation Specialists
Physician guidelines
Giving up the keys
Signs that it’s time
Steering without fearing: Self-tests
Under development – a senior driver
website for North Carolina
The Keys to Safe Driving
for Older Drivers and Drivers with Disabilities
Taking the keys
Telling someone you love, “We need to talk. . . .”
Referring an unsafe driver to DMV’s medical evaluation program
Retiring the keys
Transportation options and driving alternatives
Under development – a senior driver
website for North Carolina
The Keys to Safe Driving
for Older Drivers and Drivers with Disabilities
Drivable, walkable, livable communities
How does your community rate?
Get involved! Sponsor a
DriveWell program
CarFit program
NCDOT initiatives for accommodating older drivers and pedestrians
Mobility Options
If your car broke down,
how would you get around?
If you couldn’t drive or
didn’t have access to a car,
what would you do?
Mobility Options
 Fran Carlin-Rogers, Carlin Rogers Consulting, Orlando, Florida
407-422-0991, [email protected]
 Suzanne LaFollette-Black, North Carolina AARP
919-508-0269, [email protected]
 Jane Stutts, University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center
[email protected]
 Phyllis Bridgeman, NC Division of Aging and Adult Services
919-733-0440, [email protected]