AAA Texas Launches Major Effort to Keep Aging Baby Boomers Safe on the Road
HOUSTON--June 23, 2003--AAA Texas today launches a long-term effort to keep the growing number of senior drivers safe while on the road. Addressing the needs of an aging population now will help prepare Texas for an expected jump in its senior drivers as "baby boomers" start retiring, according to the AAA Texas.The AAA Texas new senior driver initiative, "Lifelong Safe Mobility," is designed to call attention to the largely ignored mobility issues affecting people over the age of 65. Nationally, there will be more than 40 million licensed drivers over the age of 65 by 2020.
"The AAA believes that people should be able to keep driving as long as they want to -- if they can do so safely. We need to move past the myth that an older driver is automatically an unsafe driver; it's not true," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas.
Among the efforts that AAA Texas will be promoting to help senior drivers are:
| -- | Creating educational materials, programs and services for older drivers and their adult children. |
| -- | Helping older drivers become aware of their options. |
| -- | Finding more effective ways to identify driving problems so they can be addressed before they create difficulties on the road. |
| -- | Advising auto makers of vehicle-design options that are helpful for older drivers. |
| -- | In conjunction with our national organization, supporting funding for traffic-safety improvements such as larger letters on road signs and more visible pavement markings. |
Older drivers tend to be the most vulnerable in driving on low-lit roads and busy intersections because of their diminished vision and slower reaction time. As the baby boomer population ages, more and more drivers will be vulnerable to these situations. An analysis being released today by Reader's Digest Magazine of crash data from the National High Traffic Safety Administration found that 44 percent of all crashes occur at intersections. The study also found that more than 24,000 Americans of all ages died between 1998 and 2001 in car crashes in which neither driver error nor impairment were cited as factors, suggesting that the roads themselves contributed to the crashes.
"Simple changes such as larger signs, protected turn lanes and better lighting are especially helpful to us as we age, but in fact, these improvements help make the roads safer for people of all ages," Rougeau said.
"Improving mobility for seniors is a two-pronged effort," Rougeau added. "While helping to keep senior drivers on the road, we also have to provide options for those who choose not to drive. That's why it is important to develop mobility alternatives that include safe and convenient public transportation."
To help motorists learn more about the natural process of aging and how it affects driving, selected AAA Texas offices will display the Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart (Fog Chart). The Fog Chart looks like a traditional eye chart, but it is designed to check vision in progressively dimmer lighting conditions. The chart has 12 letters on each of 8 lines. Each letter is progressively fainter than the one preceding. A person standing six feet from the Fog Chart should be able to read at least two letters on the sixth line. If they can't read two letters on the sixth line, they should have their vision checked.
AAA Texas locations for the Fog Chart through July:
-- Dallas Central
-- Dallas North
-- Houston Galleria
-- Houston Memorial
-- Houston - The Woodlands
-- Fort Worth
-- Austin North
-- San Antonio West
AAA Texas urges citizens to write their Congressperson and Senators telling them to make road improvements like intersection safety a priority. This fall, Congress is scheduled to reauthorize the surface transportation funding act, which allocates money for roads, public transportation and traffic safety programs
AAA Texas, LLC, an affiliate of AAA National, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance, travel agency, insurance, financial products, automotive products, trip planning services and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.
