Driving, Mobility, and Healthy Ageing

Driving is a critical component of mobility and has become a prerequisite for independent living in many modern societies. As global populations experience increased longevity along with improved health in late life, this has also meant that more older adults continue to drive for longer now than in the past. Drivers now aged in their 70s expect to continue driving for a further 12 to 13 years on average [1, 2]. This is consistent with cohort effects observed in many jurisdictions [3, 4]. In Australia, trends in licensing rates for adults aged in their 70s have risen steadily from 75% in 2011 to 85% in 2019, and for those aged 80 and above from 45% to 55% in the same period [5]. Greater access to private transport among older adults brings with it greater independence and is associated with lower rates of disability, reduced social isolation, morbidity, and mortality. However, due to a combination of age-related declines in function and increased frailty, vehicle crash rates, injury, and fatality rates are also elevated in older age relative to middle age [6, 7]. Although chronological age remains a strong correlate of declining driving safety [6], and driving cessation [8], a wide range of contextual and personal factors contribute to an individual’s decision to continue driving into late life.