National Academies Press: OpenBook

Promoting Older Driver Safety: Guide for State Practices (2023)

Chapter: Chapter 2 - Elements of Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 13: Older Driver Safety

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 2 - Elements of Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 13: Older Driver Safety." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Promoting Older Driver Safety: Guide for State Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26934.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 2 - Elements of Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 13: Older Driver Safety." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Promoting Older Driver Safety: Guide for State Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26934.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 2 - Elements of Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 13: Older Driver Safety." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Promoting Older Driver Safety: Guide for State Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26934.
×
Page 5
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 2 - Elements of Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 13: Older Driver Safety." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Promoting Older Driver Safety: Guide for State Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26934.
×
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3   Elements of Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 13: Older Driver Safety This chapter provides an overview of the NHTSA Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 13, Older Driver Safety. The guideline identifies eight elements and provides recommendations for the SHSOs to consider for developing a comprehensive state older driver safety program. 1. Program Management—Create a centralized data and analysis process and implement a coordinated program to identify the older driver safety problem, establish goals for a program to manage responsive efforts, and implement appropriate state projects. 2. Roadway Design—Ensure the needs of older drivers are met by applying appropriate design, operational, and traffic engineering countermeasures; by seeking input from older road users in creating the state SHSP; and in fostering collaboration and partnerships with relevant state agencies. 3. Driver Licensing—Improve and enhance how the state driver licensing authority makes indi- vidualized determinations of fitness-to-drive, considering the reasonableness of using age as a trigger. 4. Medical Providers—Involve medical providers in identifying medically at-risk drivers. Encourage medical providers to effectively counsel at-risk drivers and to make referrals to the state driver licensing authority if at-risk drivers refuse to cease driving. 5. Law Enforcement—Enhance the vital role of law enforcement in identifying at-risk drivers by ensuring state and local older driver safety programs contain a meaningful law enforce- ment component. 6. Social and Aging Service Providers—Establish and strengthen collaborative relationships between state DOT, transit offices, state units on aging, and other social services providers as well as regional metropolitan planning agencies and local governments to provide meaningful support for older drivers transitioning from driving. 7. Communications Programs—Develop and sustain communications strategies aimed at this high-risk population and families and friends of at-risk drivers, highlighting state policies and ongoing supportive programs for at-risk drivers. 8. Program Evaluation and Data—Develop an ongoing state program to effectively collect, process, and use data from all levels of government to understand the nature, frequency, location, and types of older driver crashes to allow the state to identify appropriate countermeasures. 2.1 SHSOs Practicing Guideline No. 13 Elements The research team sent surveys to all SHSOs to determine which states have implemented or are practicing the Highway Safety Guideline No. 13, Older Driver Safety. A total of 44 SHSOs responded to the survey. C H A P T E R   2

4 Promoting Older Driver Safety: Guide for State Practices Of the 44 states responding to the survey: • Seventeen states have an older driver safety program administered by the SHSO that aims to reduce older driver crashes, fatalities, and injuries; • Twenty-seven states reported having no current older driver safety program; and • Seventeen of the SHSOs are considering conducting or supporting a program in the future (Figure 2). Information in Figure 2 refers specifically to the survey responses received by the research team. California, for instance, is not shown because older driver safety is not managed directly by the Office of Traffic Safety, the state’s SHSO. Following is an overview of the current practice in implementing Guideline No. 13 elements based on the responses received in the survey. • Thirty-seven states have an older driver emphasis area in their state SHSP. Eleven of those SHSOs reported it was an emphasis area because of the older driver trigger in their states that requires the SHSP to address older driver strategies if the rate of traffic fatalities and serious injuries for drivers and pedestrians 65 years of age and older increases during the most recent 2-year period (23 U.S.C. 148(g)(2)). • Twenty-five of the SHSOs responding track and report older driver crash data in the state Highway Safety Plan (HSP) and annual report. Figure 2. States with older driver safety program administered by the SHSOs. Source: Survey conducted by BTS-12 authors, 2021

Elements of Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 13: Older Driver Safety 5 • Twenty of the SHSOs responding have a person assigned in the SHSO to oversee and/or manage older driver safety projects or programs. • Common reasons for not having an older driver safety program as mentioned by the responding SHSOs include grant restrictions, insufficient staff or newer staff, no organization applying for such a program, not a priority safety issue, and not included as an emphasis area under the SHSP. – Almost all SHSOs (except for CO) collaborate with other agencies under the older driver safety program. – Most of the states coordinate with the state safety engineer on roadway improvements to benefit older drivers. They also coordinate with the state licensing agency. Some states offer training and information for law enforcement officers on how to interact effectively with at-risk older drivers. – Eight SHSOs conduct evaluations to measure the older driver safety program. – Nine SHSOs (FL, KS, MD, MI, MO, NC, ND, OR, and TN) participate in a statewide coalition. – States including FL, MD, MI, MO, NY, and OR have website support with information on older driver safety and awareness. • Twelve SHSOs that responded to the survey (FL, GA, MD, ME, MI, NC, ND, NY, OR, PA, RI, and VT) participate in the Aging Road User Programs Interstate Collaboration Group. Nine SHSOs (FL, KS, MD, MI, MO, NC, ND, OR, and TN) participate in statewide collaboration on older driver safety. • Eleven SHSOs that responded to the survey (GA, MI, MN, MS, NC, NV, NY, OH, TN, UT, and VA) provide funding for an older driver program conducted by another agency such as the state licensing agency or department of aging. The funding was used for developing an aging driver guidebook, older driver assessments, CarFit evaluations, training for older drivers, media, and outreach. (CarFit is a free safety education program, developed by AAA, AARP Driver Safety, and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), that offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles “fit” them and how to improve their safety and comfort behind the wheel. It also provides information and materials on community-specific resources that could enhance a driver’s safety and increase their mobility.) The effectiveness of these efforts is measured by surveys, monthly or annual reports, progress reports, check-in meetings, media campaign outreach, and/or reduction in older driver crash numbers. • In addition to the SHSOs, other agencies such as the state DOT, traffic safety coalition, Department of Public Health, SHSP older driver emphasis area team, Passenger Safety Task Force, Department of Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicle Administration, Senior Mobility and Safety Action Team, Safety Council, Highway Safety Research Center, and Highway Safety Alliance participate as part of a group that meets regularly on older driver safety issues. Table 1 depicts the SHSOs’ responses regarding implementation of Guideline No. 13 elements. Chapter 4 provides a detailed overview of the challenges faced by the SHSOs.

6 Promoting Older Driver Safety: Guide for State Practices SHSOs Coordinate with state safety engineers to improve older drivers safety Information on transportation options including ride programs Medical advisory board (MAB) Communication (develop and distribute materials) Coordinate with state licensing agency on older driver safety Collaborate with other older driver agencies Evaluate older driver safety efforts CO FL KS LA MD ME MI MN MO NC ND NY OH OR PA TN UT Note: Information in this table refers specifically to the survey responses received by the research team. California, for instance is not shown because older driver safety is not managed directly by the Office of Traffic Safety, the state’s SHSO. The state does coordinate with the state safety engineer on older driver issues, provides information on transportation options, has a MAB, develops and distributes materials, coordinates with the DMV and other older agencies, and evaluates the efforts. Source: Survey conducted by BTS-12 authors, 2021 Table 1. SHSOs with older driver safety program practicing Guideline No. 13 elements.

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The large number of baby boomers, who are likely to drive much longer than previous generations, points to an increased need for older-driver safety programs and policies. As state-level agencies charged with providing information and programs on behavioral traffic safety, state highway safety offices (SHSOs) are a logical place for either developing and managing a more extensive older-driver safety program or providing funding and leadership for other agencies that conduct these programs.

The TRB Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program's BTSCRP Research Report 4: Promoting Older Driver Safety: Guide for State Practices provides guidance for SHSOs to enhance older driver safety.

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