M-CASTL 2009 synthesis report : older adult safety and mobility.

The purpose of the annual Michigan Center for Advancing Safe Transportation throughout the Lifespan (M-CASTL) synthesis report is to identify short and long-term research needs that support M-CASTL’s theme and reflect the U.S. Department of Transportation’s and other national organizations' transportation research agendas. The intent of the report is to provide a synthesized background to help focus the Center’s research program and to maintain continuity over each year of the grant. The synthesis report also serves as the background for the annual M-CASTL Transportation Research and Education conference. The report reviews the facts that older adults are at higher risk of a fatal crash and tend to suffer many negative consequences when driving privileges are taken away. This report conceptualizes the issues of aging and mobility as having three complementary and interdependent goals: (1) to understand and better manage the effects of medical conditions and medications on skills needed for safe driving; (2) to help those who are able to drive safely continue to do so; and (3) to identify and provide community mobility support to those who are no longer able to drive. This report further reviews background and recent research in several areas related to the three goals: medical conditions; medication; extending safe driving; driver licensing issues; transitioning to non-driving; and alternative transportation options. The research reviewed in this report was gathered from a search of articles published in late 2007 through February, 2009 in several peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. This report builds upon two recent reviews of the aging and mobility literature (Eby, Molnar, & St. Louis, 2008; Eby, Molnar, & Kartje, 2009) and serves as a companion to those reports.