Elderly Need Help When They Can't Drive

The question of who will provide transportation for older people who give up driving privileges could become a critical one as America ages, according to a new study.

The study found that men and women who outlive their ability or willingness to drive may be dependent on alternative transportation for more than a decade.

"Hundreds of thousands of older people quit driving each year and must turn to alternative transportation. This change in status can create unforeseen economic and social burdens that need to be addressed in the same way we have encouraged people to think about planning for retirement and end-of-life carem," says Dan Foley, of the National Institute on Aging, the author of the study.

Almost 10 percent of the nation's drivers are older than 65, and that percentage could increase rapidly in the next decade. In addition, a greater proportion of women age 65 or older is driving than in the past. By 2030, projections suggest one in five Americans will be 65 or older, and the number of people 85 and older could exceed 10 million. But in Foley's study, driving cessation peaked at about age 85, suggesting more of the oldest may be dependent on other forms of transportation in the future.

Overall, 82 percent of men and 55 percent of women over 70 drove in 1993. Driving prevalence declined with age, ranging from 88 percent of men in their early 70s to 55 percent of those 85 or older. Among women, about 70 percent drove in their early 70s compared to 22 percent still driving at age 85 or older.

Two years later, 7 percent of the drivers had died. Another 9 percent were alive, but had quit driving for other reasons. Overall, these findings suggest that more than 600,000 people age 70 or older stop driving each year and become dependent on others to meet their transportation needs.

"Driving skills are dependent on three areas of wellness: physical fitness, thinking clearly and seeing well," Foley says. "Whether a person can continue driving hinges on the severity of the disability or functional loss in one or more of these three areas. Over time, people seem to reach thresholds where they believe they can no longer safely drive."

Statistical analysis showed that the average number of years a person continued to drive -- the driving expectancy -- was significantly less than overall life expectancy. For instance, men and women who were still driving at ages 70 to 74 were expected to drive, on average, another 11 years. But these men were expected to live about 17 more years, and the women nearly 21 more years.

"If we, as a society, fail to take steps to help older people prepare for and cope with this transition, then the goal of improving the quality of life in old age will be greatly compromised, both now and in the foreseeable future," Foley said.