PREVALENCE OF CAR OWNERSHIP AND CAR DRIVING AMONG ELDERLY IN SWEDEN

In a mail survey of about 900 men and women above the age of 65 living in one small and large city in Sweden and also in a longitudinal and cohort comparison population study of people between the ages of 70 to 79, living in another large city, questions were asked about car-driving and the possession of a driver's license and of a car. In the age-group 65-74 half of the households owned a car, while in the age group 75-79 only 22 percent had a car. Of all people above the age of 65, 33 percent held a driver's license. At the age of 65-69 about every second person had a driver's license, while at the age of 75-79 this proportion was about one fourth to one third and at 85 years or above less than one in five held a driver's license. A pronounced sex difference in holding a driver's license was evident, the ratio males to females being 7:2 at the age of 65-69 and 7:1 at the age of 70-74. A decrease in the frequency of car-driving was found with increasing age. This was not primarily due to reduction in driving frequency with increasing age due to i.e. medical reasons, but seems to be a consequence of a lower prevalence of holding a driver's license. Only 15 percent of those men who drove a car at the age of 70 had given this up at the age of 79.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/11198060
• Corporate Authors:

  International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine

  Huddinge University Hospital Center, Traffic Medicine Center
  Stockholm,   Sweden  141 86
• Authors:
  • Rundgren, A
  • STAAHL, A
• Publication Date: 1984

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 8-11
• Serial:
  • Journal of traffic medicine
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine
  • ISSN: 0345-5564

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged drivers; Automobile ownership; Driver licenses; Gender
• Geographic Terms: Sweden
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00393920
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-037 744
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 31 1985 12:00AM