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Older Drivers and Senior Mobility 

National Press FoundationDriving and Behavior 

June 13, 2005

T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, MPH

National Director of Traffic Safety Policy

AAA

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A healthier aging population«

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The older population is growing.

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Even though overall crash rates for 

older drivers are relatively low«

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Older people are more likely to

die in crashes.

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Older Driver Crash in

Santa Monica

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Driving = Independence

Older drivers rely on their vehicles for:

� Social Activities

� Daily Responsibilities

� Vacations

� Medical Appointments

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States with Medical Review Boards

35 states with Medical Review Boards

(D.C.)

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Special Provisions for Older Drivers

(D.C.)

24 states and D.C

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Two Important Aspects:

The Public Healt h Perspective

� SAFETY = Physical Well-Being, Preventingdeaths and injuries

� MOBILITY = Ability to get from one place toanother 

Goal:To help seniors stay mobile for as long as

safely possible

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Road(senior-friendly

road design)

Vehicle(better crash protection,

seat belt design, ³fit´ of vehicle)

Driver (training, screening, supplemental transportation)

3 Elements of Traffic Safety

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The ROAD

Senior-Friendly Road Design� Safety-oriented road design has the

potential to greatly reduce death and injury

to our aging population

± intersection improvements; better 

signage, lighting, and road markings; and

protected left-turn lanes

� Improvements will ultimately protect people

of all ages

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R eader¶s Digest R eader¶s Digest ²²July 2003July 2003

Focus on Senior-friendly R oad Design

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Michigan Road Improvement

Demonstration Project ± Model for 

Intersection Improvements

� Coordinated effort of public and private organizations

� Determined high risk intersections

� Identified needed solutions

� Evaluation yields promising results ± reduced injuries by46% and crashes by 26%

� Low-cost improvements ± pavement markings; signaltiming; left-hand turn lanes

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The Left Turn!

Crashes often

occur at

intersections in

which the older person is

attempting to

make a left-hand

turn.

D.F.P reusser et al: F atal Crash Risk for Older Drivers at Intersections:Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Aug .1997  

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The VEHICLE

³Senior-friendly´ vehicles

� Better crash protection

� Effects of emerging in-vehicle technologies

on older drivers ± positive (crash avoidance

technology) and negative (distraction)

� Ensuring vehicles ³fit´ aging bodies

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The DRIVER

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Crash Rate and Aging

The crash rate for older drivers is related

to physical and mental changesassociated with aging

Impaired vision

Hearing Loss Impaired joint mobility

Neurologic impairment

Barbara J. Messinger-Rapport, How to assess and counsel the older driver: Cleveland

Clinic Journal of Medicine. March 2002. Slide courtesy of Gisele Wolf-Klein, MD, FACP.

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Effects of Eye Diseases on Vision

Cataract Macular DegenerationNew England College of Optometry: Implication of online renewal without vision screening(05/03)

Normal  Diabetic Retinopathy 

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Useful Field of View ®

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Cognitive Skills Critical for Driving

� Memory

� Visual perception, visualprocessing, and visuospatial skills

� Selective and divided attention

� Executive skills

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Trail-Making

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Screening Measures - Validity & Reliability

� Visual Acuity ± high contrast� Visual Acuity ± low contrast

� Useful Field of View ® 

� Working Memory

� Visual Search� Visualization of Missing Information

� Lower Limb Strength and Mobility

� Head-Neck Flexibility

Based on research on nearly 2000 drivers 55-96 years,seniors with a decline in any of the 8 areas were 2-5times more at-risk of being in an at-fault crash (Staplin etal, JSR 2003)

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R R oadwise R eview:oadwise R eview:A T ool to Help Seniors Drive Safely Longer A T ool to Help Seniors Drive Safely Longer 

� State-of-the-Art Screening Tool developed by AAA

� CD-ROM

� Screens 8 factors

important for driving

� Developed withTransAnalytics

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INTRODUCTION

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LOW CONTRAST VISUAL ACUITY

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RESULTS PAGE

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RESULTS

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Supplemental Transportation

Program Pilot in Pasadena

SPONSOR

the Beverly

Foundation

PARTNERS RIDERS DRIVERS

Service

Agencies

Age 65+Pasadena

areaResidents

Friends of 

Riders

recruitmentmaterials recruitment

feedback ridesfeedback

REIMBURSEMENT REIMBURSEMENT

DOCUMENTATION

Beverly Foundation and AAA Foundation project

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Supplemental Transportation

Programs (ST

Ps)

indicates location of 

³STAR´ Search winners

5

7

9

6

10

92

6

13

2

1

2

13

4

3

4

1

9

4

8

8

6

1

6

55

6

8

6

2

1

11

1

9

10

425

4

5

5

1

5

2

2

1

A2

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Slide 35

A2 AAA, 12/9/2003

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What¶s good for 

Seniorsis good for ALL of us!

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A Few R esources

AAA: www.aaapublicaffairs.com

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety:

www.seniordrivers.org

Area Agency on Aging: www.aoa.gov

AAMVA GrandDriver: www.granddriver.info

AARP: www.aarp.org/drive

American Society on Aging: www.asaging.org

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Thank You! 

For more information:

T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, P hD, MPH 

dinhz arr@national .aaa.com

202-942-2060 

w ww.aaapublicaffairs.com