April 2013
NEW ORGANIZATION TO ADVOCATE FOR SAFER ROADS
Welcome to the inaugural issue published by the newly launched national organization, Americans for Older Driver Safety, a non-profit project of KIDS AND CARS, Inc. Susan Cohen and Mitchell Krasnopoler founded Americans for Older Driver Safety (AFODS) 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 crash that took his life. The mission of Americans for Older Driver Safety is to advocate for safer roads for older drivers and all Americans, through driver education, assessment, retraining and transitioning; and to raise public awareness of the safety risks related to unmonitored changes in driver abilities. After more than 20 years as a practicing attorney, Susan Cohen left the Maryland Office of the Attorney General to direct AFODS and promote best practices, good ideas and top-notch research and ensure that all drivers have the functional ability to drive. Over the past year AFODS has had a significant impact raising awareness and advocating for safer roads across the country. Some of the highlights and accomplishments are described below.
AFODS PUBLISHES 2013 POLICY BRIEF
Older drivers are expected to triple in number over the next fifteen years: Road safety policies are needed now. Federal recommendations, national and state-based research, and rapidly changing demographics indicate that changes to state driver licensing practices and highway policies are needed to address older driver safety. Best practices suggest that, older drivers should be reviewed every two years to identify changes in cognitive and physical function that affect driving. States across the country have begun to shorten driver license renewal period for older drivers to every two years. For more read the 2013 Policy Brief: Maryland’s Older Drivers: Ensuring Road Safety.
AFODS HOSTS MARYLAND LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING
In February 2013 AFODS hosted a legislative briefing to inform members of the Maryland General Assembly on older driver safety concerns with Maryland’s eight-year renewal periods. In light of the rapidly changing demographics that will double the number of Maryland drivers over 70 in just seven years and more than triple the number of drivers over 70 in 15 years, the briefing looked at the need to improve Maryland’s older driver license renewal process. Counter to the trend in other states, in Maryland there are currently no special provisions in place for older drivers. Maryland drivers renew every eight years and in-person renewals are required every other renewal, or every 16 years. A driver renewing at age 70 is not required to return to an MVA office for renewal until age 86. The research shows that older drivers become more crash prone with age, even though they drive less. Age-related declines in vision, physical mobility, reaction time, and cognitive processing affect the driving ability of some older adults. Based on research showing how aging negatively affects driving abilities, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation has issued recommendations to states to modify licensing procedures for older drivers that include shorter renewal periods and in-person renewals. Maryland’s practices, as of 2012, put Maryland far afield of those traffic safety recommendations.
AFODS IN MISSOURI
At a March 20, 2013 press conference in Columbia, Missouri, Susan Cohen, AFODS Founder, was part of a five-member panel addressing safety concerns of older drivers and the need for some drivers to move to alternative mobility options. The purpose of the event was to highlight a new pilot program, Mobility Transition Counseling, to facilitate transitioning from driving to other mobility options. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, Subcommittee on Elder Mobility and Safety (SEMS), meets quarterly to address road safety concerns of older drivers and uses the slogan, Arrive Alive After 65.
AFODS IN KANSAS
In Kansas, AFODS will join a support team on older drivers that has been formed by the Kansas Department of Transportation to determine actions to take to reduce older driver injuries and fatalities as part of the Kansas Strategic Highway Safety Plan. The support team includes representatives from AAA, AARP, University of Kansas Transportation Research Institute and other stakeholders and experts. The team will issue a final report identifying steps to take to reduce older driver crashes.