Regardless of age or sex, older drivers report taking more trips than older non-drivers. For example, the median number of trips made by older male drivers was seven compared to two for older male non-drivers. Thirty-three percent of older drivers report that they avoid certain routes. Among the non-drivers surveyed, half reported making two or fewer trips per week. The frequency with which persons age 75 and older travel around in their communities depends greatly on whether they drive or not.
Drivers report taking three times the number of trips taken by non-drivers.
Key questions emerge from the report's findings that require further research about how best to meet the transportation needs of persons age 75 and older as this population increases and continues to age. Although this study touched on issues having to do with the availability and accessibility of public transportation, we need to know more about how older persons perceive public transportation as a transportation alternative to the automobile. In addition, the principal findings of this study have implications for different areas of federal, state, and local policy. Because a majority of people are going to rely on driving themselves well into their later years, public policies need to support maximizing the capacity for safe driving through the lifespan. These policies include improvement of road design and signage, regulation of drivers on the basis of individual functional ability and driving record, and assuring automobile design that addresses the needs of an aging population.