Driving Miss Daisy: Older Women as Passengers

Nondrivers are a growing segment of the older population, creating a fundamental mobility challenge for larger and larger numbers of older Americans in the United States and a looming policy and planning challenge. Women are twice as likely to be nondrivers as are men of the same age. Although women are 60% of the population 65 years of age and older, they are 75% of the nondrivers. This study focuses on older nondriving women and examines their living arrangements and their travel as passengers in vehicles. The study found that although older women drive about 60% of men’s miles, they travel 85% as many miles in vehicles as do men—more often as passengers. Because of longevity, driving confidence, and medical problems, the number of women who cease driving is far larger than the number of men. Many households with nondriving women are located in suburban and rural areas, far from transit and other options. Finally, the study found that nondriving women are heavily dependent on family and friends for rides, especially women who live alone or with another nondriver. This research shows that when an older woman nondriver is a passenger on a vehicle trip, three out of 10 times she is traveling with nonhousehold members. A combination of factors, including suburbanization, extended longevity, and the increase in older women who live alone, will challenge communities to provide safe mobility for people who can no longer drive. Policy and planning suggestions are discussed.

• Record URL:
  http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/165294.aspx
• 
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/Womens_Issues_in_Transportation_Summary_of_the_4th_165294.aspx
• Authors:
  • McGuckin, Nancy
  • Contrino, Heather
  • Nakamoto, Hikari (Yuki)
  • Santos, Adella
• Conference:
  • 4th International Conference on Women's Issues in Transportation
  • Location: Irvine California, United States
  • Date: 2009-10-27 to 2009-10-30
• Publication Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 134-142
• Monograph Title: Women's Issues in Transportation: Summary of the 4th International Conference. Volume 2: Technical Papers
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings
  • Volume: 2
  • Issue Number: 46
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 1073-1652

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Automobile travel; Females; Mobility; Passenger transportation; Passengers; Public transit; Transportation planning; Transportation policy
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01339629
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309160834
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 11 2011 2:21PM