Who Is Your Audience?

Chronological age is not a perfect indicator of the capabilities of an older driver. When assessing your target audience, take into account several factors, such as the spectrum of driving ability and health and demographic factors discussed earlier. Older drivers most at risk for unsafe driving behavior are males with certain medical conditions, especially dementia or declining vision, who are not aware of or do not recognize their disabilities, and who have little contact with family members or friends.⁹⁹

When planning your program, think of the population of older adults that your organization primarily serves. Use the following factors to assist you in finding out important information about those you serve:

• Age Range
  What is the average age of the people you serve? Which of the following age ranges do they fall into?
  The U.S. Bureau of the Census classifies people by age in the following ways:¹⁰⁰

  Older population:	Ages 55+
  Elderly population:	Ages 65+

  Many researchers commonly classify the elderly population into three subgroups:¹⁰¹

  Younger old	Ages 65-74
  Older old	Ages 75-84
  Oldest old	Ages 85+

Often, national research data on older adults and driving or injuries are broken down into these categories.

• Racial/Ethnic Groups
  What racial/ethnic groups are representative of the people you serve?
   
• Cultural/Language Groups
  What cultural groups are representative of the people you serve?
  What languages do they speak? What are their family structures or living arrangements?
   
• Gender
   
• Sexual Orientation
  Does your target group consist of straight, gay male, lesbians, bisexual or transgender populations?
   
• Income
   
• Veteran Status

⁹⁹ NHTSA (Aug. 2001) "Executive Summary, Significant Results." Family and Friends concerned about an Older Driver. Final Report. U.S. Dept. of Transportation. No. DOT 809 307. Retrieved from NHTSA on the World Wide Web: www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/olddrive/FamilynFriends/exec_summ.html.

¹⁰⁰ "Age Data." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved from the U.S. Census Bureau on the World Wide Web: http://landview.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/age.html#older.

¹⁰¹ American Psychological Association (2003) Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Older Adults. Retrieved April 28, 2004 from APA on the World Wide Web: www.apa.org/practice/Guidelines_for_Psychological_Practice_with_Older_Adults.pdf.