Abstract
Because so much travel by older Americans is by car, they represent a large potential for mode shift to walking, but current safety figures show that walking is very dangerous for the very old (and the young). In 2000, pedestrians 65 and older made up 21% of the nation's pedestrian fatalities while making up only 13% of the population. Many aspects of the physical environment discourage everyone from walking, but older people in particular. Crosswalk signals are an obvious example. One study showed that among pedestrians 72 and older fewer than 1% could complete the crossing in the allotted time. By making the built environment friendlier to older pedestrians, it would make walking easier for all age groups.