While the NTSB is well-known for the proactive measures the organization takes towards transportation safety, this forum was the first time in which the NTSB has shifted policy direction in order to explore possible preparations and limitations related to the aging driver and personal transportation.
Prolonging personal transportation is a distinguishing feature that often preserves an independent lifestyle. For many older adults, the access to automobiles retains the traditional sense of autonomy that they had often grown up with. With a majority of today’s older Americans living in low-density communities on the outer fringe of the city—as seen with areas like the Sun Belt region—passenger automobiles become an essential component of everyday life. Many older Americans prefer and rely on the convenience of their own automobile. In a sense, personal transportation allows these individuals to age in place as long as they can continue to drive safely and with ease.
According to Ann Dellinger of the Center for Disease Control, older adults and baby boomers are more adept at driving since nearly all have been active drivers most of their lives. And as these drivers begin to age, they start to adapt their automobile skills and choose to run errands in urban areas during periods of lower traffic. However, even if older adults begin to create flexible driving schedules, a key problem still persists.
Joseph Coughlin, the head director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Agelab, argues that many of the baby boomers will age much longer and begin to outlive their physical driving capabilities, resulting in what Coughlin described as the “mobility gap.”
As baby boomers feel more confident retaining their status as independent drivers when they age, their access to the roadways can sometimes be impaired by physical or medical limitations. Often, these needs of the driver present safety hazards when driving during periods of high traffic. In many of the cases, the limitations due to diminishing eyesight increase the risk of older drivers getting into accidents. The NTSB addresses the needs of our roadways with regular maintenance to safeguard any potential risks for all drivers. Usually adjustments to the roads, such as increasing the visibility of traffic signs and keeping street lights lit, has kept a safer environment for keeping older drivers on the roads. Yet, with the population of older drivers rapidly increasing, despite all this upkeep, once drivers meet their physical limit for driving, they reach the mobility gap and must rely on safer, more accessible transportation alternatives.
Sandra Rosenbloom of the University of Arizona, spoke of the tension between safety and mobility in what she described as “two sides of the same coin.” Rosenbloom poignantly argued that even if older Americans choose to maintain their independence with automobiles, there exists very few accessibility options–especially for individuals who choose to age in place. Many older adults currently live in very low density areas, and often times in rural communities, where there are not enough transportation alternatives to provide them with the accessibility they require. Public buses are limited and, at times, can often be dangerous to older individuals. It is clear the gap between aging and mobility requires a wide range of transportation options for older adults that are safe, reliable and affordable.
As the population of baby boomers continues to grow, fewer of the older adults are choosing to relocate their homes when they retire, leaving many individuals to age in place out in their suburban communities. With these individuals feeling more comfortable and reliant on their own personal driving skills, safety and accessibility still remain central issues for the aging American.
You can read more from the Washington Post article: ‘The American Driver Turns to Grey’
You can also review notes and a recorded video broadcast of the National Transportation Safety Board’s forum on “Safety, Mobility and Aging Drivers.”