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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
Moving Forward Safely
Committee for the Safe Mobility of Older Persons (ANB60)
Transportation Research Board
Message from the Chair
A draft of “A Taxonomy and Terms for Stakeholders in
Coming out of a successful 94th TRB Annual Meet- Senior Mobility” has now been completed, absent
ing, where it was my pleasure to visit with many of one important section that provides attributions in
the technical literature for the proposed terms and
you, this spring our committee is moving toward
definitions in this docucompletion of a major milestone in our commitment. I am grateful to Dr.
ment to support senior mobility, and the embrace
Sherrilene Classen for
of new
leading the effort to identiinitiatives.
fy such attributions, and
urge any of you she may
First, it has been a goal
ask for assistance to
for almost two years to
promptly pitch in.
publish a TRB Circular
that serves as a ‘living’
Looking ahead, commitreference document for
terminology used by pro- tee Members and Friends
have expressed a strong
fessionals and groups
engaged in driver evalua- interest in weighing in on the impact on senior mobility of what has become a TRB-wide priority, and
tion and rehabilitation
what a recent APA post has characterized as, “as
services; research and
transformational as the Internet” -- autonomous
program development; education and training; alternative transportation; and others (e.g., psycholo- vehicle technology. To what extent have the needs
and preferences of older persons been considered in
gists, social workers) who may encounter older
the design of devices/systems that will assist drivers
adults with limited mobility and be asked to help
with various aspects of vehicle control? Will older
identify potential solutions.
persons trust these technologies and choose (and be
able) to use them? (con’t page 2)
May 15, 2015
News from the Field
Projects, Research, &
Education
Pg 3
Current Research
Initiatives
Education and Training
Pg 7
Pg 12
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
Message from the Chair (con’t)
Will they realize intended benefits, or suffer a
safety penalty due to misuse or non-use? The bottom line: What can we do to ensure that emerging
connected/automated vehicle technologies
actually help seniors keep ‘driving safely longer’?
This broadly describes the focus of our 2015
mid-year meeting June 29-30 in Wood’s Hole,
MA. During a day and a half in this beautiful
Cape Cod setting, we will discuss these and related issues, culminating in Research Needs Statements that express our shared opinions about the
most pressing questions to answer if older persons
are to be equal beneficiaries of this ‘disruptive’
technology.
As always, I greatly appreciate the support from
Bernardo Kleiner at TRB for organizing this
meeting. Registration information and a preliminary meeting agenda is available at the following
url:
http://www.cvent.com/events/safe-mobility-ofolder-persons-committee-midyear-meeting/eventsummary75483b73575049ed8c90d85152f8954b.aspx
I hope to see you soon in Wood’s Hole,
Chair, ANB60
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
News from the Field:
Projects, Partnerships, & Training
Share a Ride or Share your Story
Independent Transportation Network of America (ITNAmerica) celebrates 20 years of providing nonprofit dignified transportation solutions for older and visually impaired Americans on June 16, 2015.
In honor of this milestone, ITNAmerica has declared 2015 the year to "give an older person a ride and
share your story." Anyone can participate in the #sharearide challenge by posting a story on
ITNAmerica’s Facebook page, on a favorite social media site using #sharearide, or by using the online
form or email address available on ITNAmerica’s StorybookTour.org website.
ITN Founder and President Katherine Freund will select the best stories to plot her 60-day national
Storybook Tour "Story Stops," and bring a national face to the unmet needs and innovative solutions
surrounding safe senior mobility. Learn more online at www.storybooktour.org.
Tip-Sheet: Planning Friendly Meeting
Going Beyond the ADA to Make Your Meeting Place
User-Friendly
A short list of features has been developed that, although not rising to
the level of a formal ADA-violation, can discourage people from attending a meeting.
This short list is intended to encourage people to think about similar
tips and reminders as they begin planning a meeting; and to serve as a
checklist for seeking out meeting locations. Suggestions are also
offered for short-term solutions for finding meeting places that are
more welcoming or to seek long-term solutions to some of the
problems.
http://web1.ctaa.org/webmodules/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?
a=3381&z=122
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
News from the Field:
Projects, Partnerships, & Training (cont’d)
What’s Your Livability Score?
You can find out right now by typing your address — or any U.S. address, zip code, town or city name
— into the AARP Livability Index, a new online tool that calculates a score based on indicators about
an area's housing, economy, transportation, community services and more. Since the index is customizable, users (be they elected officials, municipal planners, community advocates or interested residents)
can find scores based on the features that matter to them most. Scores can also be compared for up to
three locations.
Use the tool often by bookmarking aarp.org/livabilityindex.
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
News from the Field:
Projects, Partnerships, & Training (cont’d)
The University Transportation Center
at the University of Michigan (U-M),
the Center for Advancing Transportation Leadership and Safety (ATLAS
Center), has received a third year of
funding from the USDOT to continue
its theme of integrated solutions for
transportation safety. In the past year,
six students were selected for a summer
research internship in partnership with
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
(TTI). The Center’s third call for proposals was also sent out as part of the
ATLAS Center’s competitive Research
Excellence Program. During the last
two years, researchers have traveled
from U-M to TTI and from TTI to
U-M as part of a Symposium Exchange
series where the researcher presents
their research, tours facilities, and
collaborates for possible partnerships
with other researchers.
Supports Emergency Transportation
Preparedness
ITNAmerica was awarded a Local Planning and
Capacity Grant from the Maine Emergency
Management Agency (MEMA) to improve Rides in
Sight as a resource for transportation information during times of disaster.
Rides in Sight (www.ridesinsight.org) is ITNAmerica’s
national information and referral service for transportation options for seniors and visually impaired adults.
During the grant period ITNAmerica is adding Maine
transportation resources for evacuation and shelter
transportation to the Rides in Sight database and
performing outreach to residents and community leaders about using Rides in Sight as an emergency preparedness tool.
Introduction to Driver Rehabilitation
May 15-16, 2015- Hanover, MD
Course designed for individuals new to the field of driver rehabilitation. Topics include: program development, driver training,
adaptive driving equipment and program documentation. Course
will also emphasize collaboration with mobility dealers and consumers and families.16 ADED Contact Hours offered
Contact Anne Arundel Community College: 410-777-2325
Register: www.aacc.edu/noncredit/
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
News from the Field:
Projects, Partnerships, & Training (cont’d)
ADED: The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists to
Offer the Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS) Exam
200+ Testing Centers in 2015
ADED: The Association for
Driver Rehabilitation Specialists,
is offering its Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS)
examination at over 200 testing
centers across the United States.
The computer-based CDRS test
will be available in August while
an optional paper/pencil exam
will be conducted on Tuesday,
August 4 at the ADED Annual
Conference, at the Hyatt Regency
in Louisville, Kentucky.
A CDRS is an advanced driver
rehabilitation specialist who has
received certification from
ADED upon fulfillment of
specialized experience and
education and successful completion of the CDRS exam. The
exam is designed to test a welldefined body of knowledge in the
field of driver rehabilitation.
ADED is the only organization
in the U.S. to offer the multidisciplinary CDRS certification
and has been conducting the
CDRS exam since 1996.
To find out more about the
CDRS designation, examination
details, and testing locations,
contact ADED at (866) 672-9466,
visit, or e-mail info@aded.net.
ABOUT ADED: ADED is a
registered non-profit 501 (c) (3)
organization comprised of members dedicated to promoting safe,
independent community mobility
for persons with disabilities and
the aging. The group provides
education, research, and support
to professionals working in the
fields of driver education, driver
training, and transportation
equipment modifications for
those with disabilities.
The Impact of Disabilities,
Vision & Aging and their
Relationship to Driving
July 31-August 1, 2015
Louisville, KY
Traffic Safety & Driver Education for
the Driver Rehabilitation
Specialist
July 31-August 1, 2015
Louisville, KY
Course designed for driver education and
allied health professionals who wish to apply their knowledge of the different types
and levels of disabilities to the driving task.
Course designed for those with a limited
knowledge of traffic safety education.
Instructional topics include: highway
system, aspects of driving task, rules of
the road, defensive driving and behind
the wheel activities.
Contact ADED: 866-672-9466
Register: www.aded.net
16 ADED Contact Hours offered
Contact ADED: 866-672-9466
Register: www.aded.net
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
News from the
Field: Training
(cont’d)
The Impact of Disabilities,
Vision & Aging and their
Relationship to Driving
September 19-20, 2015
Spokane, WA
This two-day seminar has been developed for traffic safety/driver education
professionals with limited knowledge
of disabilities, as well as for health professionals who wish to apply their
knowledge of the different types and
levels of disabilities to the driving task.
Topics include: age related impairments, acquired, congenital, developmental disabilities, driver assessment
process, adaptive driving equipment
and vehicle modifications.
Contact ADED: 866-672-9466
Visit our website: www.aded.net
The Impact of Disabilities,
Vision & Aging and their
Relationship to Driving
November 2-3, 2015
San Antonio, TX
This two-day seminar has been developed for traffic safety/driver education
professionals with limited knowledge
of disabilities, as well as for health professionals who wish to apply their
knowledge of the different types and
levels of disabilities to the driving task.
Topics include: age related impairments, acquired, congenital, developmental disabilities, driver assessment
process, adaptive driving equipment
and vehicle modifications. This course
will be held in conjunction with the
Driving School Association of the
Americas annual convention.
Current Research Initiatives
ITNAmerica Research Group Convenes
August, 2015
The ITNAmerica Research Group (http://itnamerica.org/
what-we-do/research-policy/research-group) will reconvene for
the first time in 10 years to plan older driver and senior mobility
data collection for future research. The Research Group will also study the current data for research into topics including
healthcare and transportation, opportunities for longitudinal
studies, and transition from driving.
All ITN affiliates include an informed consent as part of their
common ITN membership application, which allows researchers to study and better understand senior mobility patterns from
the data collected.
In the 20 years that ITN has been delivering rides, the database
has become an invaluable source of information for projects
such as the Centers for Disease Control's recent study on older
driver transition. The Research Group will consider revisions to
the application for both riders and the volunteers who drive
them, including questions about technology and automated
vehicles for future study.
For more information, please contact ITN's Research and Evaluation Manager Donna Bird at Donna.Bird@ITNAmerica.org.
Contact ADED: 866-672-9466
Visit our website: www.aded.net
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
Current Research Initiatives (cont’d)
BAC and Crash Responsibility of Injured Drivers:
An Analysis of Trauma Center Data
In a project sponsored by
NHTSA, researchers analyzed 11 years of data from
the Oregon Trauma Registry to explore the distribution of BACs in drivers 65
and older, as well as the
relationship between older
drivers' BAC, driving records and crash responsibility. Despite requirements for BAC testing in all patients who were drivers injured in crashes, BAC
was only available in about two-thirds of the older
driver cases. Of these cases, approximately 10% of
injured older drivers tested positive for alcohol use;
of this 10%, more than 60% had BACs above .160
(double the illegal per se limit in all states). These
findings were consistent with
FARS data for Oregon and for the
United States as a whole.
Older drivers with positive BACs
at the time of their crashes had
notably worse driving records
than their crash-involved counterparts with negative BACs. While
this is not surprising, it supports
the notion that alcohol should be considered as a
potential factor in older drivers' crashes. Indeed,
older drivers with positive BACs were more likely
to be deemed responsible for the crash than were
drivers of similar age with negative BACs, indicating that the effects of alcohol extend beyond those
of aging alone.
A Statewide Strategy in Michigan
The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI)
is working on a project sponsored by the Michigan Department of Transportation to develop a comprehensive statewide older driver education
and safe mobility planning strategy. The overall objective of the project is
to construct an optimal statewide strategy to support the safe mobility
needs of an aging population. The strategy will focus not only on keeping older people driving for as long as they can safely do so, but will also
address the needs of those that are transitioning from driving to nondriving. The strategy will be comprised of three components: public education (information, awareness,
references), direct intervention (skill assessment, skill building, planning and finding workable transportation alternatives), and administration/collaboration (finance and budget, medical/social/public safety
and transportation agency collaboration and coordination). The strategy will continue to be developed
over the next year, including marketing and branding, and will then be implemented and evaluated
throughout the state of Michigan.
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
Current Research Initiatives (cont’d)
Gaps and Pathways Project
As part of the ongoing Gaps and Pathways Project, the American Occupational Therapy Association’s
Older Driver Initiative Project Director, Elin Schold-Davis invited experts from the areas of medical professions, licensing agencies, medical review boards, and associations dedicated to older adults’ mobility
to join together on March 5-6, 2015.
Recognizing that NHTSA’s Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs - Guideline #13 Older Driver Safety encourages the development or expansion of “medical advisory boards” that include the
knowledge of specialized services (e.g., physicians, occupational therapy, driver rehabilitation services),
the aim of the summit was to explore a shared understanding of the array of resources that states can access to build a network of services.
A Logic Model meeting format guided the exploration of programs, tools and resources. The structure of
the logic model helped in revealing underlying assumptions, strengths, needs, resources, inputs, and external factors involved in planning for a pathway of services to support safe mobility for the medically at
risk older driver. The experts’ contributions will generate a heightened understanding of successful use
of tools, resources and the pathways that facilitate access and utilization while identifying barriers and/or
needs to providing appropriate services to the medically at risk aging driver. Future work will focus on
the identified pathways activities to continue to build links between services.
Medical Review Guidelines &
Medical Advisory Board Practices
NHTSA has contracted with TransAnalytics, LLC to develop case
studies of different "typical" medical review structures. The case
studies will help identify the strengths and weaknesses of various
medical review structures. In addition, the project will extend previous NHTSA research (Medical Review Process and License Disposition of Drivers Referred by Law Enforcement and Other
Sources in Virginia) by documenting the sources of medical review referral (e.g., law enforcement, physicians, licensing agency staff) in terms of number, quality, and outcome of evaluations. This information
will help States identify procedures that flag truly risky drivers for further evaluation while not inconveniencing those who are able to drive safely. Finally, the study will update a 2005 report, Strategies for
Medical Advisory Boards and Licensing Review, documenting medical review practices in the 51 United
States licensing agencies. The findings will guide development of training materials to improve the
quality of driver referrals from various referral sources. This project is slated to be completed in mid2016.
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
Current Research Initiatives (cont’d)
UK Older Driver Task
Force
In Britain, the Road Safety
Foundation, with the encouragement of the Department for
Transport and the financial
support of AGEAS UK, an insurance company, has set up an
Older Driver Task Force. This
was proposed by the Foundation in November 2014 in a key
recommendation of its report
‘Making Road Safety Pay,’ as a
response to the growing population of older drivers. The aim
of the Task Force is to provide
practical support for older drivers and their families in the form of a comprehensive national strategy.
Initiatives to be considered include a focus on self-help, driver assistance technologies, better in-vehicle
protection and road design for older drivers. The Task Force will review national and international
evidence and best practice. It is expected to report its findings to government in mid-2016. Kit Mitchell is
leading a Working Group charged with producing evidence to support the work of the Task Force, and
may well be approaching members of the Committee to seek evidence on specific topics.
Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD)
LongROAD, funded by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, is a five-year $12 million project that
will allow researchers to better understand the role of physical and cognitive functions, medical conditions, medications and vehicle technologies in driving safety of older adults. Researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University,
University of California-San Diego, University of Colorado-Denver, and the Bassett Research Institute
will recruit a total of 3,000 active drivers ages 65-79 at five study sites (600 drivers at each site). All
participants will engage in a comprehensive assessment of physical, mental and perceptual functioning
every two years; have their vehicles visually inspected every other year; and complete a questionnaire
on health, well-being, attitudes and driving every year. Each participant's vehicle will also be fitted
with a GPS device that will record where the vehicle is being driven as well as other vehicle-based
data. The project will also collect medical, crash and driving history records for all participants. The
pilot phase of the project is currently wrapping up, and the full cohort study is expected to begin in late
summer. For more information about this project, visit: http://longroadstudy.org/
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
Current Research Initiatives (cont’d)
Behavioral Research on Automated Vehicles
A team of researchers at the at the University of Michigan (U-M), has been awarded a two-year project
by the U-M Mobility Transportation Center to examine age-related differences in the transfer of control
between driver and automated vehicles with regard to expectations, trust, acceptance, and performance,
and how such differences might affect safety. The team is led by Dr. Lisa J. Molnar, along with co-PI
Anuj Pradhan, both from UMTRI.
Introduction of Canadian Specific Resources &
Recommendations to the Fitness-to-Drive Screening Measure
The Fitness-to-Drive Screening Measure (FTDS) ©, developed by Researchers at the University of Florida, is
a free, online screening tool that allows family members, friends and caregivers to identify at-risk older drivers. Accessed by over 12,000 users worldwide, this tool is available at www.fitnesstodrivescreening.com.
Composed of 54 questions, the tool classifies the older driver as either an at-risk driver, routine driver or accomplished driver. Based on the resultant classification, the tool provides American specific resources and recommendations. Despite unavailability of country-specific resources, many users from around the world including Canada continue to use the tool. However, starting summer 2015, this will change for Canadian users, Canadian-specific resources and recommendations will be available on the FTDS website for users. Led by Dr.
Sherrilene Classen, researchers at the University of Western Ontario conducted a study investigating the relevant resources from the perspective of key stakeholders such as occupational therapists, certified driver rehabilitation specialists, doctors and advocacy organizations. This development will enable Canadian users to utilize the FTDS for identifying at-risk older drivers and to follow context specific recommendations and resources, and as such extend the use of the tool to a broader population in North America. For further information, please contact fitnesstodrivescreening@uwo.ca.
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
Current Research Initiatives (cont’d)
Inexpensive Clinical Tests & a Family Centred Approach:
Identifying At-Risk Drivers with Parkinson’s Disease
An inexpensive and timesaving set of clinical tests as well as the risk impression of caregivers can predict whether a driver with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is likely to fail an on-road assessment. Led by Dr.
Sherrilene Classen, Professor and Director of the School of Occupational Therapy, University of Western Ontario, Canada, the research team conducted secondary data analyses of comprehensive clinical
and on-road assessments of 101 drivers with PD, collected by Dr. Classen and her collaborators at the
University of Florida.
The analyses investigated, on one hand, if drivers with PD, their neurologists and their caregivers, could
accurately predict the outcome of the on-road assessment. Dr. Liliana Alvarez, postdoctoral fellow explained: “we found caregivers’ impressions to be the only significant predictor. Drivers with PD had almost 14 times higher odds of passing the on-road assessment when the caregivers predicted they
would.”
On the other hand, the analysis revealed that Trails B, Contrast Sensitivity and the Left Finger to Nose
Test can predict pass vs. fail on-road outcomes and further discriminate those that pass with recommendations, who may benefit from driving rehabilitation. Two manuscripts have been accepted and will be
available upon publication. For more information contact Dr. Classen, email: sclassen@uwo.ca
Upcoming Conferences, Meetings, & Events
ADED Annual Conference
Professionals specializing in the field of Driver Rehabilitation
meet annually for continuing education through workshops,
seminars and hands on learning. Earn contact hours for CDRS
renewal and advance your career in the field of Driver
Rehabilitation. A variety of pre-conference workshops will
also be offered. Multiple ADED Contact Hours offered.
Contact ADED at 866-672-9466
Register online at www.aded.net
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
Upcoming Conferences, Meetings, & Events
(cont’d)
UMass Boston Hosts Older Driver Summit
June 16, 2015
UMass Boston, MassDOT, and several state agencies and private-sector safety leaders will bring together a wide variety of stakeholders to develop a five-year plan that seeks to reduce crashes and improve the
safe mobility of older drivers across the Commonwealth. Their goal is to develop a blueprint for a safe
and mobile future for older drivers in Massachusetts.
The Summit will focus on four areas: infrastructure design improvements, alternative transportation
choices, legislation and policy changes, and communication with the medical community, to ensure the
safe mobility of older drivers. Additionally, focus will be on educating older drivers on available choices
for transportation, ways to seek rehabilitative services to maintain their physical and cognitive ability to
continue to drive safely, and potential infrastructure changes to accommodate older drivers were mobility may be restricted. More than 60 industry leaders and safety advocates from across the US will share
their expertise and discuss current and future trends for older drivers.
Director of MIT Agelab and the New England University Center for Transportation Joseph Coughlin
will be a keynote speaker as well as executives from Google's Driverless Car Division, and Ford Motor
Company.
For more information and to register visit http://scholarworks.umb.edu/olderdriversafetysummit
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TRB/ANB60
Spring/Summer 2015
Upcoming Conferences, Meetings, & Events
The University of Michigan Transportation
Research Institute is well into its 50th year of
providing scholarly research in the area of transportation safety. In recognition of this milestone year,
UMTRI has launched a speaker series and will hold
the 1st annual Transportation Safety Research Symposium this fall. The speaker series, co-sponsored
by ATLAS Center, are intimate talks on the subject
of automation and human factors, while the Symposium will present a look at the impact UMTRI researchers have made over the past years as well as share opportunities for future research and collaboration. In addition, UMTRI has re-launched its quarterly publication, The Research Review, as an electronic publication. The Research Review focuses on UMTRI led research and focuses on the critical aspects of transportation safety. A copy may be accessed here: http://
www.umtri.umich.edu/our-results/umtri-research-review
1st International Conference on Human Aspects of IT for the Aged
The 1st International Conference on Human Aspects of IT for the Aged will be held in conjunction with
the 17 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction in Los Angeles, California from August 2-7, 2015. Dr. Lisa J. Molnar is a Board Member for the conference and has organized a session entitled “Emerging IT for Aging Drivers: Boon or Bane. Presenters in the session include Judith Charlton
and Sjaan Koppel from Monash University Accident Research Centre, Jon Antin from Virginia Tech
Transportation Institute, Brenda Vrkljan from McMaster University, and Lidia Kostyniuk from UMTRI.
More information about the conference can be found at http://2015.hci.international/itap.
Contact TRB Committee on Safe Mobility of Older Persons (ANB60)
http://www.crag.uab.edu/safemobility
Email: safemobility@uab.edu
Committee Chair: Loren Staplin, TransAnalytics, LLC
Newsletter Editors: Lisa Molnar, University of Michigan Transportation
Research Institute (UMTRI)
Beth Jakubowski, ATLAS Center at UMTRI
TRB Staff: Bernardo Kleiner
Special thanks to Lesley Ross of Pennsylvania State University and Beth Stalvey
of Triangle Policy Consultants for their assistance and support in producing this
newsletter.
Photo Credits:
Page 1: Adults with Car,
Greg Kostyniuk; Page 5:
ATLAS Team, CUTC 2014
Media; Page 6: Oldham
County, KY, Wandering
Photo Nut, flickr.com; Page
7: The Kindness of
Strangers , Ed Yourdon,
flickr.com; Page 8: Keys &
Drink, James Palinsad,
flickr.com; Page 9: Nurse &
Senior, Daniel Olnes,
flickr.com; Page 11: Automated Vehicles, USDOT;
and Senior in Car, AAA
Traffic Safety Foundation,
www.aaafoundation.org/
photo-gallery.
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