TRANSPORTATION POLICY FOR AN AGING SOCIETY: KEEPING OLDER AMERICANS ON THE MOVE

Research and anecdotal evidence have shown that people routinely view the ability to travel as synonymous with personal freedom and independence. For example, many older people see mobility as inextricably linked to personal image, dignity, and well-being. Other research has suggested that the ability to stay connected to friends and community is an important element to physical and mental health. Most adults equate mobility with the ability to drive; the loss of driving is seen as a handicap, which results in, at best, a change in lifestyle and, at worst, the end of life as they know it. One survey of older people at a health maintenance organization in Southern California identified losing the ability to drive as more frightening than even the loss of a spouse or the poor health of a child. Despite the importance of transportation to personal lives and society's capacity to ensure the productivity of one of its fastest-growing populations, over the last decade there has been little policy movement that would suggest serious progress in keeping an older America on the move. In this analysis, although transportation is critical to individuals and the community, there are many institutional and system barriers to policy innovation. This paper examines policy evolution and developments between 1988 and 2000, characterizes the political dynamics governing transportation policy for an aging society, and concludes with policy research recommendations that may provide new impetus and urgency to the issue.

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  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/conf/reports/cp_27.pdf
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  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
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  Transportation Research Board

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• Authors:
  • Cobb, R W
  • Coughlin, J F
• Conference:
  • Transportation in an Aging Society: A Decade of Experience
  • Location: Bethesda Maryland, United States
  • Date: 1999-11-7 to 1999-11-9
• Publication Date: 2004

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 275-289
• Monograph Title: TRANSPORTATION IN AN AGING SOCIETY: A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE. TECHNICAL PAPERS AND REPORTS FROM A CONFERENCE, NOVEMBER 7-9, 1999, BETHESDA, MARYLAND
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings
  • Issue Number: 27
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 1073-1652

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Aged drivers; Mobility; Political factors; Recommendations; Research; Transportation policy
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00974956
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309077451
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 25 2004 12:00AM