A workshop held at the UC Berkeley Traffic Safety Center in June 2003 focused on methods for increasing the mobility and safety options of the aging population of drivers. The article gives an overview of the variety of topics covered by speakers, beginning with the keynote address which looked at older Americans' driving patterns. Speakers discussed research issues relevant to older driver safety, focusing on ways for older drivers with declining vision to drive safely for a longer period of time. Other topics that were covered included: human factors elements in driving and driver safety; connections between medical status and driving habits among the elderly; the interrelationship of mobility and health; and, interventions for modifying individual behaviors, changing the environment, and re- designing vehicles so that they are safer to drive for older people.
Abstract