The increasing number of elderly persons in the population is one of the major social issues today. The transport sector is no exception. Elderly motorists are a frequently discussed group at the same time as there is little knowledge of how they are influenced by different actors. This report therefore describes how different organisations influence elderly drivers seen from a broad perspective. Both road safety and mobility are discussed. On the political front, an investigation concerning elderly car drivers had earlier been made, in which the focus was on road safety from the perspective of traffic medicine. We could not find any comparative investigations focusing on elderly car drivers and their mobility. The pattern was reflected among other actors. Although there was an awareness of elderly car drivers in relation to road safety, little attention was paid to their mobility. Internationally, it was possible to distinguish another trend where the lack of mobility was identified as possibly the greatest problem for the elderly. In the social sector, there appeared to be an awareness of reduced mobility among the elderly which can be expensive for the community if they become passive and unable to manage independent living. However, the relationship of car driving to mobility had not been studied. A general view of the dependence of the transport sector on other sectors has begun to appear. It is increasingly realised that community planning effects the need for mobility. Many actors regarded the disabled and the elderly as a single group, due to which certain groups among the elderly appeared to be forgotten. (Author/publisher)
Abstract