With a growing
number of U.S. Baby Boomers reaching old age, there's a risk of a
significant increase in highway fatalities, according to a report.
Currently, just over one in six licensed drivers in the United States
are 65 and older. But that figure is tipped to reach one in five by
2025, according to the study by TRIP, a transportation
industry-sponsored research group that works to improve highway
conditions.
Although drivers 65 and older presently account for 8 percent of all
highway miles driven, they comprise 17 percent of all traffic
fatalities, according to the study.
"There is a significant concern about a growing number of older
motorists navigating difficult traffic situations," Frank Moretti,
director of policy and research for TRIP, said on Thursday.
The group's report, which calls on states to make roads safer for
seniors, was done in conjunction with the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials.
The number of traffic fatalities in the United States in 2010 was the
lowest in 60 years, despite the nation's growing population, the report
said. But TRIP says that as the population ages, those numbers may
start going back up.
In three states - Connecticut, West Virginia, and Florida - one in five
licensed drivers is over 65, and the share of the total drivers who are
elderly is going up in nearly every state, Moretti said.
Helpful changes would include better street lighting as well as "clear
and brighter signage, with better and bolder lettering."
He said traffic engineers should think about lengthening merging lanes
and exit lanes for major highways, and adding rumble strips to notify
motorists that they are approaching intersections. And he said older
drivers and their families would benefit from education that would help
them identify at which point they should stop driving.
"The growing ranks of older Americans will far outpace previous
generations with their level of mobility and activity," TRIP executive
director Will Wilkins said. "Serving their needs will require a
transportation system that includes safer roads, safer vehicles, safer
drivers, and improved choices."
The group said older motorists shun public transportation, with more
than 90 percent choosing to drive their own vehicles. In many cases,
seniors resist giving up driving, even when they realize that their
eyesight and other senses are not up to the task, because they see
driving as proof that they remain active and worthwhile.
TRIP's recommendations include better evaluation of older drivers and
tightening license requirements to ensure older motorists are tested
regularly.
