Revealed Choice of a New Generation: Travel Behavior of Older Drivers in Rural New Brunswick, Canada

The effects of aging, in concert with high automobile dependence due to limited alternatives, means rural older people are particularly vulnerable to losing automobile-related mobility with age. The development of successful alternatives requires replicating the conditions that make car use attractive which begins with enhancing the understanding of how current rural older drivers use their cars. Detailed travel information from Global Positioning System (GPS)-based travel diaries, supported by participant stated responses can lead to a better understanding of these conditions at a level not typically explored for this group. This paper profiles the travel behaviour of a convenience sample of 60 drivers (average age 69.6 years) in rural New Brunswick, Canada collected through GPS-based travel diaries and participant-supplied contextual information. Participants completed an average of 4.29 driving trips per day and 1.06 passenger trips per day in their own vehicles, while travelling in 81% of all eligible survey days. The proportion of passenger trips taken in one’s own vehicle increased with age for men and decreased for women, and was equivalent for men and women aged 75 years and older. “Higher Order/Serving Others” and “Life Maintenance” trip purposes comprised 55% and 45% of all trips, respectively. Participants completed 67% of “shopping” trips and 72% of “medical” trips in urban areas with 76% of “social” trips in rural areas. Rural participants were able to meet many of their life maintenance and higher order needs in rural areas, suggesting that transportation access to urban areas cannot be the sole impetus of transportation policy for non-drivers.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Hanson, Trevor
  • Hildebrand, Eric
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 90th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2011-1-23 to 2011-1-27
• Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: DVD
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 16p
• Monograph Title: TRB 90th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Aged drivers; Data collection; Global Positioning System; Mobility; Revealed preferences; Stated preferences; Surveys; Travel behavior; Travel diaries; Trip purpose
• Geographic Terms: New Brunswick
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01340744
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 11-0768
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 24 2011 7:42AM