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History

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AFODS History

Americans for Older Driver Safety’s aim is to advocate for safer roads for older drivers and all Americans. Susan Cohen and Mitchell Krasnopoler founded Americans for Older Driver Safety in 2012 following the 2011 death of their 20- year-old son, Nathan. An 83-year old driver making a right turn crossed into the bicycle lane where Nathan was riding resulting in the fatal crash that took his life. Learn more.

The mission of Americans for Older Driver Safety is to empower older adults to extend their years of safe driving and remain mobile for life through education, research and policy advances.

Conferences / Events

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Conferences

January 12-16, 2014
Washington DC
Wardman Park Marriott Hotel
 
Aging in America Conference 
March 11-15, 2014
San Diego, California

 
April 2-5, 2014

Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore Convention Center
 

Lifesavers
April 27-29, 2014
Nashville, Tenn. at Gaylord Opryland Hotel
A national conference on highway safety priorities.  Includes workshops on nine separate tracks including Vulnerable Populations, Adult Occupant Protection/Vehicle Technology, Disracted Driving and Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement.  New this year: CarFit Technician Training the day before Lifesavers begins.

May 11-15, 2014
Detroit Michigan
Marriott Renaissance Center 
“The 2014 conference will provide an update and evaluation of best practices since the 2004 conference, and also highlight best practices that improve older adult mobility from organizations around the world. The conference planning committee has already secured the participation of David Cole, Chairman Emeritus, Center for Automotive Research, to facilitate a session on May 14th, with auto industry on what each of the auto manufactuers have done to improve mobility and safety for the driving population, specifically older adults. See the enclosed fact sheet for more information regarding the conference.”
 
Association For Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (ADED) Annual Conference
August 3-5
Buffalo, New York
 
November 5-9, 2014
Washington, DC
Washington Convention Center
 
 
International Conferences
 
Paris, France
 
Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)
October 12-15, 2014
Munich, Germany
AAAM is a scientific  meeting devoted entirely to traffic related injury control 
 
 
Local Courses and Meetings Of Interest
 
Oregon
 
Portland, Oregon
March 7-9, 2014
This conference is an opportunity for driver educators, program coordinators, private school owners and state administrators to get new ideas and view different products that may be of use in their program.
 
Maryland
 
Disability, Vision, Aging:  Effect  On Driving
May 16 & 17, 2014
Anne Arundel Community College
15 CEU Hours in Occupational Therapy
 
 

Older Driver Safety In The News

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Older Driver Safety In The News

National

 

Elderly Man Killed in Crash with Cal City Squad Identified
NWI – June 27, 2014

Task-Oriented Exercise May Help With Mild Memory Loss
Reuters  – June 25, 2014

Elderly Woman Dies From Injuries in Monroe Co. Crash
NBC  – June 24, 2014

Seniors Continue Driving Despite Declining Physical Abilities, Nearly All Would Consider Stopping for Right Reason; New Report
Liberty Mutual Insurance – June 24, 2014

Pa. Steers Clear Of Retesting Older Drivers Strictly Because Of Age
Penn Live – May 21, 2014

Debate Increases Over Licensing Rules for Elderly Drivers
NBC Washington – May 13, 2014

New Older Driver Data Trends in Upward Direction
AAA Newsroom  – May 8, 2014

FHP Investigating Fatal Crash Involving Greyhound Bus
Click Orlando – April 6, 2014

Adams Woman and Daughter Hit by Truck
7 News, Fox 28 – March 15, 2014

Elderly Man Killed in Crash Involving Sheriff’s Office Car
Ocala.com – March 10, 2014

Crash Restarts Conversation On Aging Drivers
The Columbian – March 9, 2014

Spike In Senior Traffic Death Fuels New Safety Initiatives
Digital Journal – March 5, 2014

Las Vegas Food 4 Less Elderly Crash
Liberty Voice – March 2, 2014

Driving A Difficult Decision For Seniors
Sioux City Journal – March 1, 2014

Silverberg: Road Safety and Older Drivers
Herald Tribune – February 28, 2014

Elderly Man Hits Nitro Store With Vehicle
ABC 8 – February 27, 2014

Man Killed in Two-Vehicle Crash on SR 200
Ocala.com – February 21, 2014

Elderly Driver who Crashed into New Smyrna Beach Hospital Failed Vision Test
Wftv.com – February 07, 2014

Bill to Require Seniors to Renew Driver’s Licenses More Often Moves to Senate
Wric.com – February 07, 2014

Too Old to Drive: The Difficult Decision Mainers Faceon Hanging Up the Keys
WCSH6.com – February 06, 2014

Joyce Bill Focuses on Older Drivers
The Enterprise – February 6, 2014

Changes for Older Drivers Nixed
Fredericksburg.com – January 29, 2014

Elderly Driver Slams into Family of 5 in Highland Park
Los Angeles News – January 24, 2014

House Panel OKs Tighter Regulation of Older Drivers
Pilot Online – January 23, 2014

How Old is Too Old to Drive?
Fox6Now.com – January 22, 2014

Bill Proposes Changing In-Person Renewal For Older Drivers In Virginia
Daily Press – January 13, 2014

State Trooper Hailed as Hero After Elderly Man Drives Wrong Way on Thruway
CBS New York – January 7, 2014

Journal Times Editorial: Proposal To Test Senior Drivers’ Vision is Reasonable
The Journal Times – January 7, 2014

Thousands Of Drivers Over Age 90 in Nebraska
WOWT NBC Omaha – January 6, 2014

Proposal: Wisconsin Legislation to Require More Vision Exams
The Journal Times – January 2, 2014

75 Is The New Old: VA DMV Study Recommends Fitness Tests For Aging Drivers
The Washington Times – December 15, 2013

An Alternative to Giving Up the Car Keys
The NY Times – December 13, 2013

As American Ages, Government Seeks to Improve Safety for Older Drivers
McClatchy Washington Bureau – December 12, 2013

Few Older Drivers Discuss Driving With Physicians
FSU – December 11th, 2013

Older Drivers Would Have To Renew Licenses Every 4-Years
WSAU – December 10, 2013

Feds Making New Rules For Senior Drivers
USA Today – December 8th, 2013

NHTSA Announces New 5-Year Traffic Safety Plan and Guidelines for Older Drivers and Passengers
NHTSA – December 5th, 2013

Govt Plan Aims To Keep Older Drivers Safe On Road
Associated Press – December 5, 2013

Eldery Driver Travels Wrong Way On I-95 For Miles, No One Hurt
WCSH6.com – November 7th, 20
13

Top 10 High-Tech Safety Features for Older Drivers
Fox Business – October 18, 2013

90-Year-Old Driver Strikes Children Outside Menlo Park Pharmacy
CBS Local – October 17, 2013

Farmington Crash Brings Worries About Elderly Drivers
WSFB.com – October 16th, 2013

93-Year-Old Says Despite Crashing Into Two Homes, He Will Still Drive
Katu.com – October 13th, 2013

Friends Of Student Killed By Senior Driver Mourn, Question Regulations
The Republic – October 11th, 2013

89-Year-Old Woman Ran Over By Senior Driver Wants Stricter Laws
My Fox Phoenix – October 9th, 2013

Grand Rapids Man, 85, Sues Secretary of State After Driver’s License Is Yanked
Michigan Live – September 27th, 2013

Judge: 85-Year-Old Grand Rapids Motorist Could Benefit From Driver’s Training
Michigan Live – September 27th, 2013

Police: Driver Speeds at 80mph, Teen Boy Dead, 6 Injured in SF Crash
NBC Bay Area – September 27th, 2013 

Speeding Car Rams Minivan in SF – Boy, 16, Dead
SF Gate – September 27th, 2013 

Car Slams Into Class At Gilbert Day Spa, 1 Dead, 8 Hurt
CBS 5 – September 27th, 2013 

Driver Kills Man Selling Bottled Water On Queens Sidewalk
Gothamist.com – September 24th, 2013

Oakland: Bystander Rescues Motorist Who Crashes Into Home, Sparking Fire
Oakland Tribune – August 22nd, 2013 

Woman 78 Injured After Driving Car Into Margate Fire Station
Press of Atlantic City – August 14th, 2013 

Texas group pushes for stricter rules for elderly drivers
Fox4KC.com – August 2, 2013 

Car Smashes Into K.C. Day Care Center, Children Hurt
USA Today – July 30th, 2013 

Witness Recounts Fatal Bike Wreck In Morgan County
WAFF – July 22nd, 2013 

Police Want To Keep An Eye On Older Drivers After A Series of Accidents
Herald Sun – July 12, 2013 

OLDER DRIVERS: Independence vs. Safety
whotv.com – July 11, 2013 

Lean from my mistake; take away the keys
Marblehead Reporter – July 11, 2013 

Smash Up: Driver, 77, Flips Car Into House
whotv.com – July 10, 2013 

Diner struck by car on outdoor patio in Parole still in critical condition
Capital Gazette – June 19, 2013 

Nicollet County volunteer transportation system benefits St. Peter’s seniors
St. Peter Herald – April 29, 2013 

Exercise could help make driving safer for seniors
WWLTV.COM – April 29, 2013 

Driving Lesson Ends In Target Storefront Crash
The Inquisitr – April 21, 2013 

How do we get where we need to go?
uticaod.com – April 13, 2013 

Husband Breaks Leg Saving Wife From Car Driving On Sidewalk
gothamist.com – April 18, 2013 

Why isn’t it harder for elderly to get drivers’ licenses?
Washington Post – March 31, 2013 

Two Elderly Drivers Killed in Crashes
The Capital Journal – January 21, 2013 

Talking to Older Drivers About Giving up the Keys a Difficult but Necessary Conversation, Experts Say
Pressdemocrat.com – November 17, 2012 

Fatal Crashes Reignite Debate Over Testing Older Drivers
WMUR New Hampshire – November 15, 2012 

Woman Killed When Car Crashes Through Office Wall
KOMONews.com – November 14, 2012 

Concerns Raised for Elderly Drivers
The News Herald – November 5, 2012 

Sonoma Crosswalk Accident Heightens Focus on Elderly Drivers
Pressdemocrat.com – Octoer 30, 2012 

When Should You Take Keys from Elderly Drivers?
Orlando Sentinel – October 13, 2012 

A high accident rate among older drivers in Maine has safety experts concerned
Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal – September 30, 2012 

Baby killed, 2 adults injured after crash in church parking lot
KCTV – September 30, 2012 

A High Accident Rate Among Older Drivers in Main has Safety Experts Concerned
Lewsiton-Auburn Sun Journal – September 30, 2012 

How States are Dealing with Older Drivers
Fox News – September 17, 2012 

Elderly Drivers and Fatal Accidents: Is the Doctor Responsible?
NBC News.com – September 10, 2012 

A 100-year-old Driver Crashes into School Kids. Time to Take Grandpa’s Car Keys?
The Daily Beast – August 31, 2012 

Safety and Older Drivers
Los Angeles Times – August 31, 2012 

Driver Hits 11: Are Elderly Drivers Making Roads Unsafe?
The Christian Science Monitor – August 30, 2012 

100-year-old Driver’s Car Examined After He Hits 14 People
Los Angeles Times – August 30, 2012 

Man heartbroken over fatal crash at Smithfield Walmart [See Video]
WRAL.com – August 14th, 2013 

Deadly Collision Takes Liv
es
Canyon News.com – Jan 16, 2011 

Elderly couple found frozen to death after getting lost during drive
Washington Post – January 13, 2011

A Ceaseless Pain For Mother Who Lost Daughter
Chicago Tribune – May 16th, 2010  

Community Mourns Death Of Lab Schools Senior
Oakland Tribune – April 2nd, 2010 

Mourners Honor Chicago Student Killed Downstate
ABC Local – March 29th, 2010 

Faith Dremmer (17) Died When An Elderly Driver Struck Her While She Was Riding Her Bicycle
My Death Space – March 24th, 2010

88-year-old Massachusetts Driver Who Struck and Killed 4-year-old Girl Sentenced to 6 Years Probation
Masslive.com – August 7, 2009 

Visual Forensics of Older Drivers
Visual Expert – 2009 

Older, Dangerous Drivers A Growing Problem
USA Today – May 2, 2007 

Woman Drives Car Into Sears
Orlando Sentinel – October 10, 2006

How Old Is Too Old To Drive? WRAL Investigates Older Drivers
WRAL.com – February 6, 2002

School Bus Driver, 79, Pleads Guilty in Crash
The New York Times – December 11, 1999 

 

International

LETTERS: A word to the Older Driver
Blackmore Vale Magazine – February 06, 2014

Elderly Driver Smashes Into Chemist Shop
The Age Victoria – August 7th, 2013 

Senior Drivers More Dangerous, Says U of A Doc
Sun Media News Services – July 11, 2013 

Killer Driver, 72, free to drive
GoldCoast.com.au – May 22, 2013 

More Check-Ups Ahead For Older Drivers
The Standard – May 6, 2013 

Media Contact

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AFODS Media Contact

Americans for Older Driver Safety is a nationally recognized expert advocate on older driver road safety issues.

AFODS is the only organization in the United States with the exclusive mission to advocate for safer roads through older driver education, assessment, retraining and transitioning; and to raise public awareness of the safety risks related to unmonitored changes in driver abilities. 

The organization’s objective is to make roads safer for older drivers and all Americans. Susan Cohen and Mitchell Krasnopoler founded AFODS in 2012 following the 2011 death of their 20-year-old son, Nathan. An 83-year old driver making a right turn crossed into the bicycle lane where Nathan was riding, resulting in the fatal crash that took his life. 

For interviews or to discuss local or national issues please email Americans for Older Driver Safety at media@afods.org.

NCHRP

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National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and sponsored by the member departments (i.e., individual state departments of transportation) of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) was created in 1962 as a means to conduct research in acute problem areas that affect highway planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance nationwide. Publications concerning research on Older Driver Safety are available for purchase. Learn more.

TRB

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Transportation Research Board

The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research. In an objective and interdisciplinary setting, TRB facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and policy by researchers and practitioners; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provide expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encouraged their implementation.

TRB is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council— a private, nonprofit institution that is the principal operating agency of the National Academies in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The National Research Council is jointly administered by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. TRB’s varied activities—described below—annually engage more than 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest by participating on TRB committees, panels, and task forces. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.

TRB was established in 1920 as the National Advisory Board on Highway Research to provide a mechanism for the exchange of information and research results about highway technology. Renamed the Highway Research Board (HRB) in 1925, the organization accomplished its mission through standing committees, publications, and an annual meeting. In the decades that followed, HRB steadily increased in size. Information exchange remained its sole mission until the 1950s, when it began to undertake management of ad hoc research projects. The first continuing research management activity—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program— started in 1962. During the 1960s, the Board’s activities became increasingly multimodal in outlook. In 1974 the Highway Research Board became the Transportation Research Board. Since then, TRB’s portfolio of services has expanded significantly—first in the early 1980s, when it began conducting studies of national transportation policy issues, and again in the 1990s, when Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the state departments of transportation asked TRB to undertake additional tasks, including management responsibilities for the Transit Cooperative Research Program, guidance of ongoing research programs such as the Long-Term Pavement Performance studies, and management of the Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis programs. More recent additions have included new cooperative research programs in airports, freight, and hazardous materials transportation, and the second Strategic Highway Research Program. Learn more.

Publications concerning older driver safety are available for purchase on the website.

GHSA

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Governors Highway Safety Association

GHSA represents the state and territorial highway safety offices that implement programs to address behavioral highway safety issues, including: occupant protection, impaired driving, and speeding. GHSA provides leadership and advocacy for the states and territories to improve traffic safety, influence national policy, enhance program management and promote best practices.

GHSA is aware that it is projected by the year 2020, nearly 50 million Americans over 65 will have or be eligible for a driver’s license and almost one-half of them will be age 75 or older.

The needs of mature drivers could be addressed by making highway signs bigger and brighter; maintaining roadway signs and markings to the highest level of accepted performance; passing safety belt use laws; adopting state uniform vision standards; and researching crash protection for mature drivers. In addition, early warning programs should be developed to help mature drivers better understand their driving capabilities. Improvements should be made in the licensing process so that safe mature drivers are kept on the road as long as possible. Learn more.

Additional information:
Older driver safety 
Laws affecting older drivers