Demographic trends illustrate the extent to which, as healthcare has improved and longevity increased, the proportion of elderly people in the population has increased, especially those over 70. At the same time, more and more elderly people are drivers, and their patterns of living, travel, and land-use have all served to increase the need for individual mobility. It has become more difficult to meet the dispersed needs by public transport, and the incentive to continue to drive a car is greater. Although older drivers tend to travel less, they have a higher accident rate, and a markedly higher injury rate. Eyesight, hearing, physical strength and agility, mental acuity and reaction time all tend to deteriorate with age, causing particular problems to elderly drivers in increasingly complex and congested traffic. Moreover, when accidents happen, elderly people are more fragile and less able to stand the forces of the impact, so their injuries tend to be more serious. Because the proportion of elderly people is growing, it is essential to place a greater emphasis on building vehicles to suit them better, and to design road and traffic systems which take account of their difficulties. (A)
Samenvatting