Driving is transportation for most older adults

The number of people in the United States older than age 65 is expected to double to 60,000,000 within the next 25 years. It is likely that in the future more older persons will drive longer into their lifetimes than they do now. Actions taken now to prepare for this population expansion will have a profound effect on the lives of future older Americans. Functional disabilities among some older people may make it difficult for them to continue to be safely mobile. A crucial issue is to determine who can drive safely and who cannot. A corollary issue is how to rehabilitate those whose functional abilities can be enhanced. For those who cannot be rehabilitated, decisions need to be made on either modifying or stopping driving, and we must facilitate the use of other options that allow older people to remain mobile. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other public and private organizations are now developing programs to enable the public and private sectors to address these issues.