As people age, they may experience changes in vision, limited mobility, slower reflexes, delayed reaction time, drowsiness and trouble judging distance or speed. It’s important to understand that growing older does not always mean giving up driving, but it may mean making changes in how and when you drive.

To help senior citizens know how to stay sharp while driving, MoDOT is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Society on Aging to focus on older driver safety and community mobility.

Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis are home to a core set of new programs that address older driver safety. Trainings that have taken place this past year include:

DriveWell Toolkit – The toolkit provides comprehensive information for planning, promoting and presenting public information events on older driver safety and community mobility.

CarFit – This program is designed to give older drivers a quick but comprehensive check of how well they fit in their vehicle.

NHTSA Law Enforcement Module – This course should be taught by law enforcement to law enforcement. The course includes video, handouts, a simulated traffic stop and a group exercise to engage participants in this important topic.

Roadwise Review – This is a CD-ROM based program that older drivers can use to check their driving abilities – like visual, mental and physical responses – in a convenient and confidential fashion.

Assessing and Counseling the Older Driver – This is an evidence-based workshop for physicians and health care professionals co-sponsored by the Older Driver project of the American Medical Association. The program provides physicians and other health care professionals with the tools they need to assess and counsel older patients on medical fitness-to-drive.

More than 625 people have already participated in educational programs in the last year. Other projects include:

• Display creation for exhibits and fairs
• Ads created for local communities to promote older driver safety
• Fit to Drive brochure, created in conjunction with Washington University
• Older Driver Workshop

With these new programs in place, Missouri can work toward creating safer roadways as a larger percentage of its population begins to enter their golden years. For more information regarding Missouri’s older driver safety and community mobility program, visit www.modot.mo.gov/safety/OlderDriver.htm.

Sidebar

• Missourians age 65 and older currently make up 10 percent of the population, but due to aging baby boomers this population is expected to raise to more than 18 percent by 2020.

• In the last three years 541 people were killed and 3,209 were seriously injured in traffic crashes involving an older driver.