Journal of Safety Research Special Issue
The Journal of Safety Research presents articles and reasearch
covering all aspects of safety, in both work and home environments. The foreword
that appears below and the articles listed are excerpted from the Journal's
special issue on driving and the elderly (Vol. 34, No. 4).
Foreword:
Reducing the risks on the road for a growing population
Projections indicate that by 2050, for the first time in history, the world's population
of elderly persons will exceed the population of children. In fact, for many of
the more developed nations, this change has already occurred as early as 1998. The
United States is no exception to this trend.
The anticipation of a longer, healthier lifespan prompts many older Americans to
postpone retirement and/or continue their active and productive lifestyles while
enjoying their independence. As part of this independence, most Americans plan to
remain in their own homes as they age. Therefore, access to transportation is essential
for the majority of seniors. Indeed, transportation equals independence.
Surveys indicate that the mode of transportation preferred by most seniors is automobiles,
either as drivers or passengers. This finding is reinforced by the 18.9 million
older drivers licensed in 2000, an increase of 36% since 1990. A survey of European
drivers found that most respondents intended to still be driving at age 80. However,
as the number of elderly drivers increases, unfortunately so will crashes among
this group.
The research community and public safety agencies have been challenged to reduce
the incidence and severity of motor-vehicle crashes involving the elderly. A wide
range of interventions have been developed that have improved transportation safety
and mobility for older adults. Yet, while each of these activities has independently
claimed a certain amount of positive influence, there is a great need today to synthesize
current knowledge and best practices in order to elevate the level of success through
a more integrated approach. It is with this hope and the funding and support made
available from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), American Automobile Association (AAA), and
Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation (BTS), that
we devote this entire issue to this topic.
I am privileged to have collaborated with Jean Shope (University of Michigan Transportation
Research Institute), Bella Dinh-Zarr (AAA), Lindsay Griffith (Texas Transportation
Institute, The Texas A&M University System), and Jane Stutts (Highway Safety
Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), who served as the
editorial team on this special issue. Their expertise, time, and guidance have been
instrumental in the development of this project. I am also most grateful to the
34 experts from 27 agencies and institutes who served on the review panel; their
names and affiliations are listed on the front inside cover of this issue.
The published articles range from older drivers' physical limitations, education,
design of vehicle and roadways, use of tools for assessing driving performance,
to providing alternative means of transportation; we are pleased to see the quality
and scope of topics offered in this issue. The multidisciplinary nature of this
issue reflects the complexity of this task. We hope this issue brings the various
stakeholders' attention to this topic and triggers more collaborative research efforts
to help ensure the quality of lives of this growing population, without the increasing
concerns of risks on the road.
Mei-Li Lin, Editor
Special Issue Table of Contents
- Evaluating the impact of passengers on the safety of older drivers
- Impact of impulsiveness, venturesomeness, and empathy on driving by older adults
- Driving disability and dizziness
- Improving older driver knowledge and self-awareness through self-assessment: The
driving decisions workbook
- Deconstructing gender difference: Driving cessation and personal driving history
of older women
- MaryPODS revisited: Updated crash analysis and implications for screening program
implementation
- Older women drivers: Fatal crashes in good conditions
- Driving and alternatives: Older drivers in Michigan
- Assessment of older drivers: Relationships among on-road errors, medical conditions
and test outcome
- On-road driving evaluations: A potential tool for helping older adults drive safely
longer
- Effect of vehicle and crash factors on older occupants
- Using a driving simulation to identify older drivers at inflated risk of motor vehicle
crashes
- The 2001 national household travel survey: A look into the travel patterns of older
Americans
