Older Drivers and Senior Mobility

National Press FoundationDriving and Behavior

June 13, 2005 T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, MPH

National Director of Traffic Safety PolicyAAA

About AAA

• Not-for-profit federation of 70 independent clubs in US and Canada

• Founded in 1902 to advocate for better and safer roads

• Service is integral to organization (and a requirement for AAA clubs)

• 48 Million Members (25% U.S. households)

A healthier aging population…

The older population is growing.

Even though overall crash rates for older drivers are relatively low…

Older people are more likely to die in crashes.

Older Driver Crash in Santa Monica

Driving = Independence

Older drivers rely on their vehicles for:

• Social Activities

• Daily Responsibilities

• Vacations

• Medical Appointments

States with Medical Review Boards

35 states with Medical Review Boards

(D.C.)

Special Provisions for Older Drivers

(D.C.)

24 states and D.C

Two Important Aspects: The Public Health Perspective

• SAFETY = Physical Well-Being, Preventing deaths and injuries

• MOBILITY = Ability to get from one place to another

Goal: To help seniors stay mobile for as long as

safely possible

Road(senior-friendly road design)

Vehicle(better crash protection, seat belt design, “fit” of vehicle)

Driver(training, screening, supplemental transportation)

3 Elements of Traffic Safety

The ROADSenior-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

Reader’s DigestReader’s Digest—July 2003—July 2003Focus on Senior-friendly Road Design

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 by 46% and crashes by 26%

• Low-cost improvements – pavement markings; signal timing; left-hand turn lanes

The Left Turn!

Crashes often occur at intersections in which the older person is attempting to make a left-hand turn.

D.F.Preusser et al: Fatal Crash Risk for Older Drivers at Intersections: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Aug.1997

The VEHICLE“Senior-friendly” vehicles

• Better crash protection

• Effects of emerging in-vehicle technologies on older drivers – positive (crash avoidance technology) and negative (distraction)

• Ensuring vehicles “fit” aging bodies

The DRIVER

Crash Rate and Aging

The crash rate for older drivers is related to physical and mental changes associated 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.

Effects of Eye Diseases on Vision

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

Normal Diabetic Retinopathy

Driving and Vision

Normal

Glaucoma Retinitis Pigmentosa

New England College of Optometry: Implication of online renewal without vision screening: May,2003

Useful Field of View ®

Cognitive Skills Critical for Driving

• Memory

• Visual perception, visual processing, and visuospatial skills

• Selective and divided attention

• Executive skills

Trail-Making

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 2-5 times more at-risk of being in an at-fault crash (Staplin et al, JSR 2003)

RRoadwise Review:oadwise Review: A Tool to Help Seniors Drive Safely LongerA Tool to Help Seniors Drive Safely Longer

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

• CD-ROM

• Screens 8 factors

important for driving

• Developed with

TransAnalytics

INTRODUCTION

LOW CONTRAST VISUAL ACUITY

RESULTS PAGE

RESULTS

Supplemental Transportation Program Pilot in Pasadena

SPONSOR

the Beverly Foundation

PARTNERS RIDERS DRIVERS

Service Agencies

Age 65+ Pasadena

area Residents

Friends of Riders

recruitmentmaterials recruitment

feedback ridesfeedback

REIMBURSEMENT REIMBURSEMENT

DOCUMENTATION

Beverly Foundation and AAA Foundation project

Supplemental Transportation Programs (STPs)

indicates location of“STAR” Search winners

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What’s good for Seniors

is good for ALL of us!

A Few Resources

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

Thank You!

For more information:T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, MPHdinhzarr@national.aaa.com

202-942-2060www.aaapublicaffairs.com