Title

The older and wiser rider: an examination of transportation for older drivers

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2007

Subject Area

Modes of Transport - Bus, Modes of Transport - Car - Driver, Modes of Transport - Car - Driving, Population - Older driver

Abstract

In today's western society, driving as a means of mobility plays an important role in the lives of older adults, connecting them to family, friends, activities and the greater community. Few drivers plan for the day when they are unable to drive and many find it a difficult prospect to consider or talk about. Further concerns arise from research findings that indicate older drivers lack information about available alternative transportation such as public transit. In a project conducted in collaboration with BC Transit, the Capital Regional District (CRD) Traffic Safety Commission and Silver Threads, we examined the current modes of transportation used by a large sample of older adults in the Capital Regional District of British Columbia. We also investigated why older adults do not use public transit. Some participants from this large sample volunteered to take part in a pilot project assessing the impact of participation in a group transit training program. The results indicated that the preferred form of transportation is a vehicle, either as an operator or as a passenger. Many restricted their driving to daylight hours or minimized driving in poor weather conditions. In addition, although the reported general health of most participants was good and did not change over the course of the study, some drivers limited their driving due to health and mobility concerns. The results from the group transit training indicated that those who received travel training, regardless of whether or not they received a free bus pass, used the bus more frequently than those who did not. However, given the relatively small samples and the short duration of the study, no changes in miles driven per week, driving restrictions, primary mode of transportation or health status were seen. Based on the very encouraging results from this study, it appears that additional research is warranted to ascertain whether introducing group transit training in this way may facilitate changing transportation-related behaviors for older adults over a longer period of time.