Abstract
The interface between public health and the mobility of older people has been neglected. The dialogue also has been dysfunctional because much of the literature has concentrated on safety at the expense of mobility. Not only is this an inversion of older people's priorities, but it also does not reflect their safety record. Developing a dialogue among the disciplines of transportation research, public health, geriatric medicine, traffic psychology, and the other disciplines involved will require time, open minds, and opportunities to work in concert. Topics addressed in this paper include: health professionals; disease and disability; and barriers to a positive health approach for age-related disease and mobility.