Many Older Floridians Have No Backup Plan For When Driving Must End, Survey Shows February 14, 2012

While Florida is home to one of the highest percentages of senior citizens, a new survey shows few of them have thought ahead and planned for the day when they will no longer be able to drive or get around without a car.

In fact, 13 percent of those surveyed said they would never stop driving and 3 percent said  they would die before they would stop driving.

The findings from this survey are important in that they show older drivers are at a higher risk for being involved in a fatal car accident, according to John Reynolds, director of Florida State University’s Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy. The survey was developed by FSU and the state Department of Transportation.

Residents who are 65 and older make up nearly 18 percent of Florida’s population, and the Census Bureau expects that number to increase to 27 percent in the next 20 years. In 2008, 447 older adults died in automobile crashes on Florida roads, making up nearly 15 percent of all crash fatalities in the state.

To address this issue, the Pepper Institute has been awarded $475,000 from the state to establish a statewide coalition to create a Aging Road User Strategic Safety Plan for Florida.

Reynolds said reducing the number of fatalities, crashes and injuries that involve older adults in the state would be the measure of success for the grant funding. But in doing so, the roads will be made safer for all Floridians and would hopefully serve as a model for other states.

To establishing a baseline for the safety plan and coalition’s development, Reynolds analyzed the responses from 900 Floridians who took part in the 2011 Florida Aging Road User Survey this past spring and summer. Half of those surveyed ranged in age from 50 to 64, while the other half were 65 and older.

Their survey responses offer insight into the perceptions of older drivers regarding the safety and  mobility challenges they one day may face.

The findings include:

• Most do not plan for the future when they may be unable to drive safely. Ninety-two percent of those ages 50-64 and 83 percent of survey respondents 65 and older, reported they had no “transportation retirement plan.” About 23 percent said they would rely on family, neighbors or friends when that time came, but about 36 percent said they did not know or had not thought about it. About 13 percent said they would never stop driving , with about 3 percent stating they would die before they needed to stop driving. Just under 4 percent stated they planned to use a community driver program or paratransit service such as Dial-A-Ride.
• Many older drivers see no alternatives to driving in the communities where they live. When asked how they get around besides driving a car, 40 percent of those 65 and older said they ride with friends or family, 26 percent said they walk, and 15 percent said driving was the only way to get around.  The percentages were 38 percent, 29 percent and 16 percent, respectively, for survey respondents aged 50 to 64.

The survey also revealed that older drivers consider roads in the state to be fairly safe, overall. For those 65 and older, 78 percent said Florida’s roads are somewhat safe (57 percent) or very safe (21 percent). For those 50 to 64, 75 percent said the state’s roads were either safe or very safe.

“Though many aging drivers in Florida view our roads as very or somewhat safe, we found a lot of concern about the other drivers who are on them,” Reynolds said. “People responding to the survey voiced frustration, and sometimes anger, at other drivers who are talking on their phones, texting, or are otherwise being careless while they drive. This concern is being heard all around the country.”

Residents ages 65 and older make up almost 18 percent of the Sunshine State’s population, and the Census Bureau projects that number to grow to 27 percent over the next two decades. In 2008, 447 older adults were killed in automobile crashes on Florida roads, making up about 15 percent of all crash fatalities in the state.

The Pepper Institute is working with the Safe Mobility for Life Coalition, which is composed of members from 28 organizations and agencies in Florida. This coalition was established to improve safety, access and mobility for Florida’s aging drivers in several key areas, including education and prevention; assistance in transitioning from driving to other means of transportation as necessary; advocacy and policy reform; roadway improvements; licensing; promotion of aging in place;  and safety for non-drivers, including those bike, walk or ride a bus.

“There are so many groups and agencies throughout the state that are committed to making our roads and communities safer for older adults,” Reynolds said. “The coalition brings these groups together to work as a team on the objectives and goals identified in the strategic safety plan.”

For more on safe driving issues, see the library of articles by Daytona Beach car accident attorney.