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Improving Safety and Mobility for Older Road Users in Australia and Japan

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October 2008

Table of Contents

Report cover

Sponsored by:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration

In cooperation with:

NOTICE

The Federal Highway Administration provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

Technical Report Documentation

1. Report No.
FHWA-PL-09-001
2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle
Improving Safety and Mobility for Older Road Users in Australia and Japan
5. Report Date
October 2008
6. Performing Organization Code
8. Performing Organization Report No.

7. Author(s)
Elizabeth Alicandri, Pamela Hutton,
Dr. Susan Chrysler, Dr. Leanna Depue,
Howard Glassman, Dr. ThomasGranda,
David Harkey, Thomas Smith, Barry Warhoftig
9. Performing Organization Name and Address
American Trade Initiatives
P.O. Box 8228
Alexandria, VA 22306-8228
10. Work Unit ( TRAIS)
11. Contract or Grant No.
DTFH61-99-C-005
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Office of International Programs
Office of Policy
Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes
FHWA COTR: Hana Maier, Office of International Programs
16. Abstract

Age-related declines in vision, cognition, and physical ability affect how older road users drive and use other transportation modes. The Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and National Cooperative Highway Research Program sponsored a scanning study to assess infrastructure improvements designed to aid older road users in Australia and Japan.

The scan team found that using a systems approach provides for integration of safety of older roads users and that enhancing safety for older road users improves safety for all. The team also observed engineering, policy, and educational programs that can improve the safety and mobility of older road users.

Team recommendations for U.S. implementation include integrating information from the scan on infrastructure improvements benefiting older road users into relevant U.S. documents, encouraging partnerships between government and nongovernment organizations to address older road users' needs, and developing a research program on policies and interventions targeted to older road users.



17. Key Words
mobility, older road user, safety, systems approach,
transportation infrastructure
18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available to the public from the:
Office of International Programs,
FHWA-HPIP, Room 3325, U.S. Department of Transportation,
Washington, DC 20590
international@fhwa.dot.gov
www.international.fhwa.dot.gov
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified 20. Security Classif. (of this page)
Unclassified
21. No. of Pages
52
22. Price
Free

International Technology Scanning Program

The International Technology Scanning Program, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), evaluates innovative foreign technologies and practices that could significantly benefit U.S. highway transportation systems. This approach allows for advanced technology to be adapted and put into practice much more efficiently without spending scarce research funds to re-create advances already developed by other countries.

FHWA and AASHTO, with recommendations from NCHRP, jointly determine priority topics for teams of U.S. experts to study. Teams in the specific areas being investigated are formed and sent to countries where significant advances and innovations have been made in technology, management practices, organizational structure, program delivery, and financing. Scan teams usually include representatives from FHWA, State departments of transportation, local governments, transportation trade and research groups, the private sector, and academia.

After a scan is completed, team members evaluate findings and develop comprehensive reports, including recommendations for further research and pilot projects to verify the value of adapting innovations for U.S. use. Scan reports, as well as the results of pilot programs and research, are circulated throughout the country to State and local transportation officials and the private sector. Since 1990, more than 75 international scans have been organized on topics such as pavements, bridge construction and maintenance, contracting, intermodal transport, organizational management, winter road maintenance, safety, intelligent transportation systems, planning, and policy.

The International Technology Scanning Program has resulted in significant improvements and savings in road program technologies and practices throughout the United States. In some cases, scan studies have facilitated joint research and technology-sharing projects with international counterparts, further conserving resources and advancing the state of the art. Scan studies have also exposed transportation professionals to remarkable advancements and inspired implementation of hundreds of innovations. The result: large savings of research dollars and time, as well as significant improvements in the Nation's transportation system.

Scan reports can be obtained through FHWA free of charge by e-mailing international@dot.gov. Scan reports are also available electronically and can be accessed on the FHWA's Office of International Programs Web site at www.international.fhwa.dot.gov.

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