Road Safety Improvements * USA - AARP study, argues for

The total number of drivers age 65 and older is expected to surge

Palo Alto,CAL,USA -The Car Connection -May 2011: -- Over the next several years, as the Baby Boomer generation nears retirement age, the total number of drivers age 65 and older is expected to surge. By 2025, one in every five drivers will be over 65—so it makes sense to get our roads ready for those who'll keep driving and other have other provisions for those who won't...  And with that surge of older Americans comes a need for some changes in attitude about transportation policy, points out the AARP, as part of a major report, called "How the Travel Patterns of Older Adults Are Changing," released from the AARP Public Policy Institute this week...  And while 80 percent of those age 65 or older drives a vehicle, more older adults are choosing public transportation—with 55-percent more trips in 2009 than in 2001. The study found that more than nine percent of all trips for this age group are on public transportation...  Twelve percent of all trips made by Americans were made by those 65 and older, and the total number of trips made by those in that age bracket (including walking, biking, and mass transit) rose by ten percent, to 45.5 billion trips...  (Image from thetrucker)