Road safety and travel needs for the rural elderly

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Initial research has shown that elderly drivers living in rural areas will retain their licenses longer than urban seniors resulting in much higher collision involvement rates. A primary objective of this research will be to continue building a knowledge base that captures the travel needs of those seniors living beyond the reaches of urban amenities. The deficiencies of traditional travel surveys are often exacerbated when applied to seniors, however, the use of GPS-tracking has been shown to be a valuable approach when detailing the movements of rural seniors. A GPS approach will be extended to more fully develop a representative description of the travel behaviour of different sub-groups among the elderly. Stated-adaptation surveys will also be conducted in order to identify possible travel behaviour modifications that could be expected in response to more restrictive licensing policies, retesting, or the provision of alternative public transportation services. Subsequently, efficient schemes for public transportation services will be developed in response to the survey results and a pilot programme developed for potential testing within a small service district.