The ability to travel around town, going where we want or need to go whenever we need or choose to, is a freedom that most of us enjoy. We take for granted that we can hop on a bus, hail a taxi, or slip behind the wheel of a car to drive whenever we please. But for a growing portion of the elderly population, once routine outings such as going to the grocery store, the library, or even to the mall for shopping or a movie now present daily challenges. As we age, driving is not an option for many of us, and we need to find other methods for getting to and from our daily activities.
The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) estimates that there are 26 million elderly Americans who depend on others for their mobility. With the aging of the baby boomers, that number will only grow in coming years. By 2030, the number of older drivers aged 85 and over will be four to five times greater than today, according to the CTAA.
Many older people are reluctant to stop driving, even though CTAA statistics predict that elderly traffic fatalities will triple by the year 2030. For most seniors, the ability to drive not only signals their independence, but also serves as an essential means of preserving identity. In most locales, a driver's license is the most widely accepted form of identification. Therefore, to give up one's driver's license is akin not only to relinquishing independence and freedom of mobility, but also to loss of self-esteem and power.