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Older male and female drivers in car-dependent settings: how much do they use other modes, and do they compensate for reduced driving to maintain mobility?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2016

MARK J. KING  and
BRIDIE J. SCOTT-PARKER
MARK J. KING*
Affiliation:
Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, Australia.
BRIDIE J. SCOTT-PARKER
Affiliation:
Adolescent Risk Research Unit (ARRU), Faculty of Arts and Business, University of the Sunshine Coast; Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Mark J. King, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q), Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology, K Block, 130 Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059, Australia E-mail: mark.king@qut.edu.au
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Abstract

Among the societal and health challenges of population ageing is the continued transport mobility of older people who retain their driving licence, especially in highly car-dependent societies. While issues surrounding loss of a driving licence have been researched, less attention has been paid to variations in physical travel by mode among the growing proportion of older people who retain their driving licence. It is unclear how much they reduce their driving with age, the degree to which they replace driving with other modes of transport, and how this varies by age and gender. This paper reports research conducted in the state of Queensland, Australia, with a sample of 295 older drivers (>60 years). Time spent driving is considerably greater than time spent as a passenger or walking across age groups and genders. A decline in travel time as a driver with increasing age is not redressed by increases in travel as a passenger or pedestrian. The patterns differ by gender, most likely reflecting demographic and social factors. Given the expected considerable increase in the number of older women in particular, and their reported preference not to drive alone, there are implications for policies and programmes that are relevant to other car-dependent settings. There are also implications for the health of older drivers, since levels of walking are comparatively low.

Keywords

ageingdrivingmobilitytransport modewalkinggender
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 37 , Issue 6 , July 2017 , pp. 1249 - 1267
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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