Injury Prevention
The Older Driver Safety Program
Funding by the Governor’s Office of
Highway Safety
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Who:
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End users: Older
drivers and their caretakers
Direct recipients:
Public Safety and Public Health staff and other
community older adult and traffic safety stakeholders.
Program services are provided by the Injury
Prevention Section (IPS) to build support for statewide and local
program development.
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What: |
The Older Driver
Safety Program goal is to maintain the mobility of older adults while
keeping them safe. The program will primarily focus on reducing
the number of injuries and fatalities experienced by older drivers, and
where possible, enhancing mobility options for older adults. The
program will utilize a public health approach to develop collaborative
relationships with the Division of Aging Services and other older driver
stakeholders to provide technical assistance and resource development
for health and safety professionals and the public. Program activities
will include the development of a steering committee, focus group
discussions and a needs assessment of issues and services relevant to
keeping older drivers safe. Utilizing the knowledge gained from these
initial activities, the IPS will identify and implement a pilot
intervention and evaluate its effectiveness at achieving the program’s
goals. |
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Where: |
The initial activities of the Older Driver Safety
project will involve assessing the potential for policy and
environmental changes to support safe mobility for older adults. The
project will then identify a county or city to pilot a selected
intervention.
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Why: |
Older drivers have
an excessively high rate of motor vehicle fatalities compared to other
adult age groups, on a per vehicle mile traveled (VMT) basis. In
Georgia, motor vehicle crashes account for the second leading cause of
unintentional injury deaths among older adults age 65 and older.
In 2003, 150 (66%) of the
229 older drivers involved in fatal crashes in Georgia died.
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Impact: |
Reduce the injuries
and fatalities suffered by older drivers.
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Return on Investment: |
Hospital charges
for motor vehicle related injuries attributed to residents 65 years and
older totaled more 34 million in 2003.
Prevention
strategies that maintain the safety of older drivers benefit everyone.
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Helpful Links: |
Physician's Guide to Assessing and Counseling
Older Drivers
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/10791.html
FHWA Highway
Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians
http://www.tfhrc.gov/humanfac/01103/coverfront.htm
AASHTO/NCHRP
Strategic Highway Safety Plan – Volume 9: A Guide for
Reducing Collisions Involving Older Drivers
http://trb.org/publications/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_500v9.pdf
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