The Driving Decision:
Health, Safety, and the Older Driver

At the turn of the last century, life expectancy was under 50. Today, most people can plan on living well into their 70’s and many into their 80’s. The fastest growing segment of the United States population is 85+. Between 1990 and 2000, the number of people 70 and older grew twice as fast as the nation’s total population with nearly a decade of active living still ahead.

However, aging is more than numbers – ‘old, poor and sick’ is no longer the headline for most older Americans. They live longer and are healthier. They have more education. They have larger incomes. They have more active lives and varied interests – lives and interests that depend on seamless transportation. Today’s older adults and the rapidly aging baby boom generation formed and were formed by the automobile society – a society based upon mobility-on-demand to go where and when you want. Today’s older adults are more likely to have a driver’s license and drive more than any previous generation. According to the USDOT, there were nearly 19 million older licensed drivers in 2000 – this was a 36 percent increase from 1990, compared to only a 14 percent increase for the total number of drivers. Should this give cause for concern? Yes and no.

Older drivers are not a major public safety concern. Those of us who share the road with older drivers do not have to be concerned about older drivers causing an extraordinary number of accidents. Older drivers as a group are relatively safe drivers. Statistics show that there is a continuous decline in crash involvement as age advances.

However, statistics also show that there is a high fatality rate for older drivers. The rate for injurious crashes produces similar results. And the consequences of those injuries begin to climb as people grow older. According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (2001), the increased fatality rate seems to be primarily driven by the “fragility” of older drivers as young as age 60. Older drivers are more susceptible to injury or death because they have less capacity to endure the trauma of an accident. In addition, they may suffer from chronic conditions, such as heart disease or osteoporosis, which can complicate recovery or result in death.

Another way to look at older drivers is to examine their relative individual risk while on the road. This measure looks at the rate of accidents per mile driven. Older drivers have a greater crash risk beginning by about age 70 and increasing with age. So, while older drivers may drive less, they are at greater risk when they do drive.

In summary, older drivers are a safe group on the road. Lifestyle and reliance on the car suggests that older people will continue to drive, and in the future they will drive more than today. The oldest among them will experience greater risk of both accidents and fatal accidents when they drive. As the 50+ driving population expands in size and activity level, concern about accidents and fatalities will continue to grow.

Agenda

9:15 Welcome and Introduction

9:30 A Driving Decision: Health, Happiness & the Older Driver
The MIT-Hartford research team will present the findings of their recently conducted national survey on the behavior of older drivers, the role of health in self-regulation and automobile safety.

11:00 Driving Limitations: What Price Do We Pay?
Self-regulation and driving cessation are often seen as safety solutions; however, there are direct and indirect costs to individuals, families, and society.

1:15 Health, Self-Perceived Health and the Driving Decision
How does the natural aging process and related health conditions impact objective and self-perceived capacity to drive?

2:30 At the Crossroads: Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, and Driving
The incidence of Alzheimer's disease and dementia is a looming challenge for today's and tomorrow's older adults ? how do people with dementia, families, and physicians respond?

4:00 Adjourn