Page 29 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – May 2022

The new website, Transportation.Ohio.gov/OlderDrivers showcases the work that’s been done and offers great resources for older drivers, family members and caregivers. Highlights include:
• A downloadable copy of
the state’s “Stay Fit to Drive” handout
• The Safe Routes to Age in Place report and Toolkit to assist communities in thinking about transportation options for older populations
• Driver Orientation Screen for Cognitive Impairment (DOSCI) video and quick handout card for law enforcement to use to identify cognitively impaired drivers
• A link to the CarFit website, which is a program to help older drivers find the safest fit in their vehicle
• And much more.
Kimberly Schwind is public affairs director for AAA Ohio.
AAA Partners with State to
Protect Older Road Users
By Kimberly Schwind
Ohio’s population is aging. In fact, older adults, 65 and older, make up the fastest-growing age group in the United States. Unfortunately, this growth also has led to an increase in the number of fatal crashes involving older drivers.
“Over the past decade, fatalities and serious injuries involving older drivers have been going up on Ohio’s roads,” said Michelle May, highway safety program manager with the Ohio Department of Transportation.
May spearheads Ohio’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, a data-driven multi-agency approach to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Ohio’s roads.
“We started to understand the need to work with other organizations to address this issue,” said May.
ODOT gathered stakeholders together to take a closer
look at the data and develop an action plan to help older Ohioans transition their driving as they age. The Older Road User Emphasis Area is now one of 14 emphasis areas in Ohio’s SHSP. AAA leads this emphasis area with active collaboration from dozens of stakeholders throughout the state.
“We want to prepare drivers, so they can take the necessary steps to keep themselves safe and keep others safe on the road,” said May. “This is why ODOT is so committed to working with AAA and other partners across the state. It’s going to take a group effort.”
During the past several years, the group has laid a solid foundation and is now ramping up efforts at a time when Ohio’s older road user fatalities are higher than ever before. After a slight decline in 2020, when many older drivers stayed home because of COVID-19, ODOT data
shows fatalities involving older drivers spiked to a record high of 293 in 2021.
“We don’t have a good handle yet on how far it could increase,” said May. “But there’s no question more older adults are driving now than they were during 2020, and we are seeing greater numbers of older drivers in our fatalities and serious injuries than we did during the height of COVID restrictions.”
While older drivers are typically better at self-regulating their driving behavior by avoiding high-risk situations, many are outliving their ability to drive safely by an average of 7-10 years, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Normal aging may increase common risk factors for roadway crashes, including changes in vision, hearing, strength, visibility, reflexes and memory.
Medical conditions and certain medications also may impact their ability to drive safely. The AAA Foundation found nearly 50% of older adults are using seven or more medications while driving.
In addition, older drivers may drive older vehicles that no longer fit their needs (e.g., too big or too small; or seats, steering wheel and mirrors do not adjust sufficiently).
Ohio’s Older Road User Action Plan aims to address these risk factors by focusing on four specific areas: infrastructure, alternative transportation, medically at-risk drivers and education.
“I’m completely optimistic about the future of older driver safety and education in Ohio because of the partnerships we’ve created over the past several years,” said May. “I think we’ve built a really good foundation in education and outreach that will help us prevent older driver-related fatalities and serious injuries in the future.”
MAY 2022 | 27
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