Transportation System Engineering/Planning

Purpose Analyses compared older drivers from urban, suburban, and rural areas on perceived importance of continuing to drive and potential impact that driving cessation would have on what they want and need to do. Methods The AAA LongROAD Study is a prospective study of driving behaviors, patterns, and outcomes of older adults. A cohort of 2,990 women and men 65‐79 years of age was recruited during 2015‐2017 from health systems or primary care practices near 5 study sites in different parts of the United States.
 

Researchers will assess participants across several dimensions including physical capability, health, driving behavior and knowledge, driving environment, and access to essential goods and services. Additionally, researchers will collect one month of naturalistic driving data from each participant by deploying VTTI’s proprietary data acquisition system (DAS) in their vehicles. 
 

Researchers will assess participants across several dimensions including physical capabi

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Pub. L. 117-58, also known as the "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law" (BIL)), was signed into law on November 15, 2021. Among other things, the BIL established a new Special Rule under the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) under section 148 of title 23 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) for vulnerable road user (VRU) safety and continued the two existing special rules for High-Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) and Older Drivers and Pedestrians without change.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Pub. L. 117-58, also known as the "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law" (BIL)), was signed into law on November 15, 2021. Among other things, the BIL established a new Special Rule under the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) under section 148 of title 23 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) for vulnerable road user (VRU) safety and continued the two existing special rules for High-Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) and Older Drivers and Pedestrians without change.

As state-level agencies charged with providing information and programs on behavioral traffic safety, SHSOs are a logical place to develop a more extensive older driver safety program 

Rural driving is more than twice as dangerous as urban driving (for all age groups). The traffic fatality rate in rural areas are much higher than urban areas.