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Transportation and Seniors
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by: Amy Lake, Community Policy Analysis Center, University of Missouri - Columbia; Steven Bilings, Multimodal Operations - Transit Section, Missouri Department of Transportation; Tracy Greever-Rice, Office of Social & Economic Data Analysis, University of Missouri - Columbia As the senior population in Missouri grows, transportation is emerging as an important health, safety and quality of life policy issue. Currently, 586,000 (87%) of Missouri seniors hold valid drivers licenses. This leaves approximately 1 in 10 seniors dependent on friends, family and public transportation to make vital trips to the grocery store, to medical appointments, or to visit friends and family. Of Missouri seniors who hold drivers licenses, 67 percent live in urban counties, and 33 percent live in rural areas.1
As seniors age from their 60s into their 70s and 80s, the proportion maintaining licenses decreases. Eighty-seven percent of young seniors (65-74) have valid drivers licenses compared to seniors aged 75-84 (77%) or 85 and older (43%). Of those who remain licensed, it is difficult to know exactly how many actively drive compared to those who maintain a license as a convenient form of identification. Anecdotally, we know that not all senior citizens with driver’s licenses have personal automobiles, and we know that in some cases, seniors choose not to drive due to a variety of reasons including physical abilities, road conditions, traffic and weather.
Transportation Options for Missouri Seniors Missouri maintains a network of public transportation resources for seniors, the most vital located in the larger metropolitan areas. St. Louis City and County have a comprehensive public transit system, which offers special services to meet seniors’ needs as does Kansas City and its surrounding communities. Several smaller cities (Columbia, Jefferson City, Springfield, Joplin and St. Joseph) and rural municipalities (Bloomfield, Cape Girardeau, Carthage, Chillicothe, Clinton, El Dorado Springs, Excelsior Springs, Houston, Lamar, Marshall, Marshfield, Mt. Vernon, Nevada, New Madrid and West Plains) also provide transportation for seniors and people with disabilities.2 Rural regions of Missouri rely most heavily on three statewide transportation programs: Older Adults Transportation Service (OATS), Southeast Missouri Transportation Service (SMTS) and Missouri Elderly and Handicapped Transportation Assistance Program (MEHTAP). OATS, which specializes in services to seniors and the disabled, serves 87 Missouri counties and offers door-to-door transportation to the general public. SMTS serves the southeast part of the state in areas without OATS services. MEHTAP is a statewide program, which funds approximately 200 non-profit transportation providers. These providers also specialize in transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities. Single county, MEHTAP-supported transit systems serve seniors in the Bootheel counties as well as Ray and Callaway counties. Thus, all counties in Missouri have some public transportation.3 Seniors and Those Who Serve Seniors Voice Their Concerns In 2005, the Area Agencies on Aging, Department of Health and Senior Services and the University of Missouri Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis hosted 47 town hall meetings across the state attended by approximately 500 participants. In these meetings, participants were asked to discuss important issues for Missouri’s senior population. Transportation emerged as one of the most pressing concerns for Missouri’s seniors. Participants described transportation challenges more than 400 times during these meetings. While participants generally praised the quality and reiterated the necessity of maintaining existing services, they also suggested the need for additional services to support seniors, particularly in rural areas, in their vital daily activities. Participants emphasized that seniors who are socially engaged and capable of meeting their daily needs are healthier and more independent than seniors who are isolated or who cannot meet these needs. Participants recognized that transportation, whether public or private, is key to keeping seniors socially engaged, yet transportation policy and services are not always designed with due consideration of seniors. Senior Transportation Research Missourians’ concerns, as expressed in the town hall meetings, are reflected in national research on the topic of transportation for seniors. Results from the 2001 National Household Transportation Survey show that almost 90 percent of all trips by seniors in the United States are made in vehicles compared to only 1.3 percent on fixed-route transit services. (This would not include OATS, SMTS, and MEHTAP, which provide personalized door-todoor services on request.) The same study suggests the fixed-route transit services are less appropriate for the senior population than working adults and school-aged youth because seniors tend to travel during off-peak commuter times when fixed-route transit tends to have fewer services. Fixed-route transit systems may not be accessible for seniors for several reasons. Bus stops, for instance, may not provide adequate protection from the elements, and seniors are more vulnerable to illness by excessive cold or heat. Information about routes and travel times may not be clear or formatted in a matter is easily understandable to seniors. Signage may not be clear or may not have writing large enough for use by visually-impaired seniors, and buses may not be equipped with seating and mounting and dismounting features that are designed for seniors with limited mobility.4 Public safety is one of the greatest concerns for seniors who drive. A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that seniors aged 70 and older accounted for 13 percent of traffic fatalities in 2000 and 17 percent of pedestrian fatalities, but only accounted for 9 percent of the overall US population. This same study shows that the driver fatality rate for people 85 years of age and older is nine times higher than the rate for drivers between the ages of 25 and 69 when calculated in terms of the estimated annual travel.5 Statewide accident statistics show that 13,824 senior drivers were involved in traffic accidents on Missouri roads in 2004. This accounts for 8.5 percent of all traffic accidents that occurred that year. Ten percent or 124 of all fatal traffic accidents involved drivers over 65 years of age. It is worth noting that 77 percent of all fatal traffic accidents in Missouri occurred in rural areas in 2004. This is particularly significant for the senior population, which has fewer public transportation options in rural areas.6 Innovative Ideas and Programs The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has been active in addressing issues for senior drivers. Some very simple actions can have significant and positive impact on safe driving such as painting wider highway lines, advance intersection warning signs and wrong-way markings on freeway ramps. Additionally, the Highway Safety Division of MoDOT focuses on improving roadway safety by changing driver behavior. Highway Safety is in the process of developing an older driver campaign that will include fact sheets, posters, billboards, and public service announcements targeting the older driver. The campaign will feature driving tips to keep seniors safely mobile. The Missouri health care system is another source of innovation. For example, the Northeast Missouri Rural Health Network has initiated a program called CareLink. CareLink provides free transportation in an eleven county service area to residents of all ages for medical and social service appointments. Some rural health care facilities provide transportation or vouchers to pay for their senior patient’s public transportation . As the population continues to age in Missouri and nationwide, transportation will remain a high priority issue in terms of health, safety and quality of life. |
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| Missouri Senior Report is published by the State of Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), MU’s Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA) and University of Missouri Extension. |
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