The Road Safety Monitor (RSM) is an annual public opinion survey conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) and sponsored by Transport Canada, the Brewers Association of Canada and Toyota Canada Inc. The survey takes the pulse of the nation on key road safety issues by means of a telephone survey of a random, representative sample of Canadian drivers. The annual results of the RSM are released in a series of reports (available at: http://www.trafficinjuryresearch.com) – the present one focuses on elderly drivers. In 2006, 13.2% of all licensed drivers, or some 3 million Canadians, were 65 or older. As the population continues to age, these numbers are expected to increase, and it is estimated that there will be 6 million licensed drivers aged 65 or older by 2031, corresponding to about 23% of all licensed drivers. In addition to normal, agerelated declines in abilities such as slower reactiontimes and limited mobility, elderly drivers may also be affected by other conditions such as visual impairment, heart disease, stroke, and dementia and by impairment due to medications related to those conditions. Consequently, as the population continues to age, issues related to elderly drivers will likely become more prevalent. Of considerable concern, elderly drivers account for a significant proportion of the road death toll, ranked second only to young drivers aged 15 to 24. This elevated risk can partly be explained by their physical frailty. Also, some elderly drivers drive less, but when they drive, they do so primarily on highrisk roads. The elevated risk is most pronounced after the age of 80 and especially among those who drive infrequently. In general, Canadians are moderately concerned about the issue of elderly drivers. About 33% view elderly drivers as a very important road safety concern. It appears that Canadians have a fairly accurate grasp of the issue of elderly drivers, with the exception that they tend to overestimate its magnitude. However, it is not clear whether Canadians recognize that the problem is likely to become more prevalent as the population continues to age. A majority of Canadians support the following measures to address the issue of elderly drivers: (1) Elderly drivers should be required to complete training in order to maintain their driving privileges after a certain age (75.7% in agreement); (2) programs are needed to improve the skills of elderly drivers (65.1% in agreement); and (3) elderly drivers who are having difficulty driving because of their impairment should be given restricted driving privileges such as no driving after dark and only driving within a 25 km radius of their home (71.1% in agreement). Conversely, a majority of Canadians disagree (61.5%) that elderly drivers should lose their driving privileges if they cause a crash. Older drivers are less concerned in general about the issue of elderly drivers and less supportive of a variety of countermeasures. Any strategy to overcome issues related to elderly drivers will have to be sensitive to this. (Author/publisher)
Abstract