Making Roads Safer: External Driving Environments

Communities can make many environmental changes to address the driving needs of older adults. Local roads, intersections and freeways can be improved by:

• Placing clearly visible road signs
• Increasing the distance between the sign and the driving or road condition the sign indicates
• Avoiding changeable message signs that continue to scroll information
• Using clear lane markers
• Providing alternative routes that access the same destinations as main thoroughfares
• Avoiding installation of traffic circles, also called rotaries or roundabouts⁶⁶

Communities can make cost-effective changes to maximize comfort for all drivers in their area. The State of Florida and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have developed materials and recommendations for communities.⁶⁷

⁶⁶ Wachtel, J. (Apr. 16, 2004) "The Santa Monica Crash: Strategies to Reduce Future Occurrences." Presentation at ASA-NCOA Joint Conference, San Francisco, CA.

⁶⁷ Federal Highway Administration (Jan. 1998) Older Driver Highway Design Handbook. No. FHWA-RD-97-135. Retrieved from FHWA on the World Wide Web: www.fhwa.dot.gov/tfhrc/safety/pubs/older/intro/index.html.