COLUMBUS — In recognition of Older Driver Safety Awareness Week (Dec. 4-8), the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO), the Ohio Department of Aging (ODA), and AAA are reminding Ohioans about new resources and programs to prevent serious injuries and fatalities among Ohio’s older drivers.
It’s important that we continue to help older Ohioans with strategies to drive safely and to support families as they navigate concerns about their loved ones getting behind the wheel.
People age 65 and older make up the fastest-growing segment of drivers nationally and in Ohio.
- By 2030, the state will have more than 4.8 million residents who are 65 and older.
- Deaths involving older drivers have been rising post-pandemic, as drivers resume normal activities.
- ODOT data shows that the number of deaths involving older drivers hit a 10-year high in 2021. Last year, 296 people age 65 or older died in crashes on Ohio’s roads, representing 23% of all traffic deaths statewide.
One way the state is working to improve older driver safety is through the expansion of CarFit, an educational program developed by AAA, AARP, and the American Occupational Therapy Association to improve older driver safety and comfort behind the wheel.
“We know that mobility is critical for healthy living, but as we age, changes in our vision, flexibility, strength, range of motion, and even size and height may make us less comfortable and reduce our control behind the wheel,” Kara Hitchens from AAA Club Alliance. “CarFit provides older adults with the tools to understand and take safety measures while driving.”
At a CarFit event, trained volunteers complete a 12-point checklist with each driver. Occupational therapists are also on hand to provide a consultation, if needed.
OTSO, a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, is providing federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging to launch this statewide effort to establish consistency and growth of the CarFit program throughout Ohio.