Factors affecting older adults’ satisfaction with their mobility options: A survey-based analysis

Out-of-home mobility has been identified as essential for older adults to access activities in their community that keep them healthy and well. As individuals grow older, they are more likely to experience medical conditions and other health-related changes that can impact their ability to drive. keeping a balance between maintaining older peoples’ mobility with their own and other road users’ safety has been always a challenge. Therefore, it is important to understand everyday mobility issues that elderly people are facing as well as challenges/factors associated with driving cessation. This paper aims to identify and quantify contributing factors that affect older adults’ satisfaction with their everyday mobility using ordered probit (OP) modeling. Underlying this objective is to provide better understanding regarding factors that may influence older adults to stop driving. The data used in the analysis was obtained through an online survey that was conducted with 1000 Canadians aged 65+. The results of the OP model indicated that several factors affect older adults’ satisfaction with their everyday mobility including driving a car to reach destinations, ability to drive a car alone (without the need for help from others), experiencing difficulties / challenges associated with driving, having a physical health issue that restricts an older adult’s ability to walk, fear of falling while walking and inability to visit local places that older adults wish they could visit more often. The findings also suggested that factors influencing older drivers’ decision to retire from driving (for those who have already retired driving) are in fact different from the perceived factors for those who are still driving. The results of this study provide insights about policies and countermeasures that can be implemented to improve the safety and mobility of the aging population.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Web
  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 15p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01763799
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: TRBAM-21-01810
  • Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Feb 4 2021 10:57AM