Road Users Can Grow Old Gracefully--With Some Help

By the year 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be aged 65 or older, while the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population will be people 85+ years of age. Each year, a growing portion of those who use the Nation's roads and sidewalks are older adults. Some things, such as vocabulary and knowledge can increase throughout a person's lifespan, while other abilities, such as vision, typically decline. Unfortunately, a large vocabulary does not help motorists drive across town as much as visual acuity does. The challenge for the transportation industry is to maximize safe mobility options for older populations while maintaining safety for all road users. This article makes recommendations on infrastructure design, keeping in mind the changes in abilities of senior motorists and pedestrians. Topics discussed include challenges associated with decreased abilities, countermeasures for common conditions of aging, vision changes and improving roadway visibility, musculoskeletal function and improving intersections, and making roadway navigation easier while considering the cognitive changes affecting older Americans. The article closes with a look toward the future.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/06may/01.cfm
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1586080
• Authors:
  • Rousseau, Gabriel K
  • Schwartzberg, Joanne
  • Phillips, Lisa
• Publication Date: 2006-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 2-7
• Serial:
  • Public Roads
  • Volume: 69
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Federal Highway Administration
  • ISSN: 0033-3735
  • Serial URL: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Aged drivers; Automobile driving; Cognitive impairment; Crash causes; Demographics; Highway safety; Pedestrian safety; Physiological aspects; Safety programs; Vision disorders; Visually impaired persons
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01033246
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Sep 29 2006 10:35AM