Title

The Aging of Society as a Woman's Issue; If You're Not Part of the Solution You're Part of the Problem

Abstract

The safety and mobility challenges raised by an aging society are both different and more intense for women. Older women have fewer crashes on every measure than comparable men but are more likely to be killed in the crashes that do occur. At the same time women are far less likely to be drivers or continue to drive than comparable men so they face greater mobility losses as they age. Dr. Rosenbloom will discuss comparative safety and mobility trends among those 65+ over time and suggest the ways in which engineers, planners, and gerontologists must respond differently to the needs of older women and men in three crucial areas: improving the highway and pedestrian network, increasing the quality and quantity of public transit and alternative transportation systems, and retrofitting the low density communities in which over 75% of older women are aging-in-place.