For Communities

Rapid declines in health and overall quality of life often follow loss of mobility, creating costs to society as well as to the individuals and their families.²⁸ Examples of such costs are:

• Social isolation
• Loss of potential contributions to the community
• Increased need for emergency-room and law-enforcement personnel

These costs, coupled with concern for its older citizens, make older-driver safety a growing priority for many communities as the proportion of older adults increases.

Unfortunately, when the focus is on taking away car keys, the responsibility for initiating the discussion or removing the keys is often shifted back and forth among the family, social workers, the police, DMVs and physicians. Recognizing that older adults are at risk of becoming isolated once they lose their ability to drive, communities can provide support to them, their families and the professionals who work with them to ensure consideration of all other options first. Communities need to strike a balance between safety and personal autonomy.

To strike this balance, communities can focus on prevention strategies. Ideally, crashes and their related injuries and fatalities will decrease, lessening the burden on emergency-response personnel - police, fire departments, paramedics and hospital emergency-room staff - and lowering repair costs for property damage.

Maximizing independence will decrease the costs of institutionalizing older adults and lessen the burden to caregivers. By recognizing that older drivers span a continuum of driving ability, communities will increase their capacity to meet the needs of all older adults. Communities can provide resources for elders who cannot drive, especially resources for making alternative modes of transportation more convenient. Community-based organizations can advocate for "walkability audits" to be conducted by government transportation departments or community advocates, to make roads and sidewalks more accessible.

²⁸ Sampson & Staplin, p. 8.