State kicks off Older Driver Safety Week by offering resources

WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll on Monday said mobility is essential to quality of life at any age.

Secretary Carroll offered the comment as the Shapiro Administration kicked off “Older Driver Safety Week” by highlighting the resources the Commonwealth provides older drivers to address the unique challenges they face.

According to PennDOT, a quarter of Pennsylvania’s licensed drivers are 65 years of age or older, underscoring the critical need for these resources.

“While many older drivers have a lifetime of valuable driving experience to draw from, PennDOT continually seeks to balance the safety of our roadways with the need for independence and autonomy,” Carroll said.

PennDOT says Pennsylvania has a network of shared-ride service providers dedicated to keeping older adults mobile, safe, and engaged in their community. This free transportation program allows citizens aged 65 or older to ride for free on a local, fixed-route service whenever local public transportation is operating. During FY 2022-23, there were more than 2.2 million Senior Shared Rides.

Approximately 25% of Pennsylvania’s 9.1 million licensed drivers are 65 and older. In 2022, there were 20,590 crashes involving at least one driver aged 65 or older that resulted in 287 total fatalities. This represents 17.7% of all crashes and 24.3% of all fatalities.

Older drivers generally have fewer crashes per driver than the national average — but they have more crashes per mile of driving.

Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) Jason Kavulich said as Pennsylvania’s aging population continues to grow, the Shapiro Administration is committed to ensuring that older adults have the resources they need to remain active in and connected to their communities.

“Driver safety is an important part of how older adults navigate in our community, but what is equally important is working with our partners to provide accessible and flexible transportation alternatives to older adults,” Kavulich said. “Pennsylvania is fortunate that our lottery proceeds help to fund alternative services in transportation for its older citizens.”

Lieutenant Adam Reed, Director of the Communications Office with the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), said along with the unique challenges already faced by older drivers, seasonal factors such as winter weather conditions, longer nights, and heavy holiday traffic create challenges for drivers of all ages.

“Before getting behind the wheel, older drivers should ensure that their eye exams are up-to-date and understand how prescribed medications could affect their driving,” Reed said. “It’s also important for all drivers to remember to buckle up every time.”

Jodi Frantz, Chief of Staff for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, reminded older Pennsylvania drivers that auto insurance is an important financial protection and that there are ways to reduce the cost of it.

“Older drivers can get a break on their insurance rates,” Frantz said. “If all drivers on your policy are 55 or older, you can take a PennDOT approved mature driver class and qualify for at least a 5% discount. We also encourage these Pennsylvanians to talk to their agent or insurance company if they are driving less or if they think there are coverages that they no longer need.”

While every person ages differently, aging typically brings certain — sometimes subtle — physical, visual, and cognitive changes that could impair an older person’s ability to drive safely.

Older drivers and their families should work together to identify potential issues that may affect driving, outline courses of action to assist the older driver, and plan for when it’s time to hang up the keys.

Signs that can indicate it may be time to limit or stop driving altogether include:

• Feeling uncomfortable, fearful, or nervous when driving.

• Unexplained dents/scrapes on the car, fences, mailboxes, or garage doors.

• Frequently getting lost and frequent “close calls” (i.e. almost crashing).

• Slower response times, particularly to unexpected situations.

• Difficulty paying attention to signs or staying in the lane of traffic.

• Trouble judging gaps at intersections or highway entrance/exit ramps.

Additional information on older driver safety and mobility resources is available at both PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services and the Department of Aging websites.