A COMPENDIUM OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OLDER DRIVER PROGRAMS

Index
Introduction
Alabama
Arizona
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Iowa
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Ontario, Canada
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Wisconsin
Other Resources

INTRODUCTION

As people age, they must make adjustments to their driving due to conditions that accompany age, such as loss of vision, diminished hearing, and slowed reaction time. These adjustments are necessary to promote safe driving. Effective partnerships between law enforcement and the older driver community must be established and maintained to keep the older person mobile and driving safe for as long as possible.

Older (70 + years) drivers make up 10 percent of all licensed drivers. There were 18.9 million older drivers licensed in the United States in 2000, with that number projected to grow to 30 million by 2020. Between 1990 and 2000, this segment of the population grew nearly twice as fast as the population as a whole. With the aging of the �baby boomers,� the older driver population will continue to increase substantially. In addition, while the older population (70 + years) makes up approximately 9 percent of the U.S. population, it accounts for 13 percent of all traffic fatalities and 18 percent of all pedestrian fatalities.

In 2002, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began gathering information from law enforcement agencies to document strategies used to reduce collisions involving older drivers. As a result, a resource guide of older driver programs was developed to assist law enforcement agencies and serve as a clearinghouse for older driver programs in law enforcement. This resource guide was generated from interviews conducted in 2002-2003 with law enforcement agencies that responded to a NHTSA information request. Additional programs were identified through Internet searches and information sharing processes with professionals involved in older driver safety and research. In addition, this guide provides partnership information that addresses positive community policing methods as they relate to older driver safety.

Sergeant Robert L. Ticer of the Arizona Department of Public Safety compiled this resource guide during his assignment with the NHTSA Officer Leadership Program from September 2002 to September 2003.

Law enforcement involvement in older driver improvement pro-grams such as the AARP Driver Safety Program and AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Mature Operator Course are examples of training programs outlined in this guide. Programs outlining training courses for officers such as elderly sensitivity training and dementia identification are highlighted in some of the law enforcement programs.

In this guide, multiple law enforcement programs address effective partnerships between law enforcement and entities, such as senior citizen groups, roadway signage committees, family help networks, social service agencies, public transportation, private transportation, media, motor vehicle departments, and medical review boards. A common partnership identified in this document is the National Association of TRIADS, Inc. A TRIAD is a partnership between local law enforcement and the community through a signed agreement to reduce senior victimization. Today, there are TRIADS in more than 750 counties in the United States. This resource guide provides users with information about particular TRIADS that have implemented driver safety programs into their partnerships.