These are some of the changes Iowa's Department of Transportation has already approved in a new policy aimed at accommodating elderly drivers. Under the policy, all new state roads and any road improvement projects are subject to the new guidelines, which are modeled after the Federal Highway Administration's older-driver design handbook.
Iowa's policy, in effect, recognizes that the state's population and its drivers are aging. While one of every six Iowa drivers is currently 65 or older, the state expects at least a 30 percent increase in the number of residents over 65 by 2020. The policy also takes into account that older drivers have poorer eyesight and less sharp reflexes than they had when younger. "Older drivers drive less," says Mary Stahlhut, the department's safety management system coordinator, "but when they drive, they're more at risk. They are more frail and more likely to be seriously injured or to die" from injuries sustained in a crash.
In addition to the already approved changes, other measures are under review for inclusion in the program, including replacing pedestal- mounted traffic signals with overhead ones that are more visible. The DOT is also sponsoring an older driver forum this month in an effort to engage the public in the safety program. Seniors, caretakers and public health workers will join department officials in discussing how to make the roads safer for older motorists.
