Transportation in Michigan: older adults and caregivers

Michigan Department of Transportationhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90963/1/102858.pd

Recommendations for meeting the transportation needs of Michigan’s aging population

Mobility, or the ability to get from place to place, is important for everyone. Mobility enables people to conduct activities of daily life, stay socially connected with their world, participate in activities that make life enjoyable, and increase their quality of life. In the United States, and indeed in Michigan, personal mobility is frequently equated with being able to drive a personal automobile. However, because of age related medical conditions and the medications used to treat them, as people age into older adulthood they are more likely to experience declines in abilities needed for safe driving. Because of the preference for the personal automobile, and the lack of acceptable mobility alternatives, one focus of efforts to enhance safe mobility for older adults is to keep older adults driving for as long as they can safely do so. At the same time, society has a responsibility to help maintain mobility for those who are unable or choose not to drive. As the population of older adults in Michigan continues to grow, it is becoming more and more critical that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) understand the mobility needs of older adults and incorporate these needs into transportation facility design and planning. This project provided the background information needed to help MDOT identify where to concentrate resources to maximize the safe mobility of Michigan’s aging population. The overall goal of the project was to help maintain the safety and well-being of Michigan’s older adult residents by developing a set of low-cost, high-impact measures that could be implemented by MDOT. This goal was achieved through a literature review, an analysis of demographic data, and statewide surveys of older adults and family members/caregivers for Michigan older adults in order to gain a better understanding of the travel and residency patterns, gaps in transportation services, and the transportation needs and wants of Michigan older adult residents and the population of adults who provide care and/or transportation assistance to Michigan older adults. The complete results of these research activities, a list of measures for improving older adult mobility in Michigan, and an implementation plan are included in this report.Michigan Department of Transportationhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90961/1/102857.pd

Transportation, mobility, and older adults in rural Michigan

A deliverable for project number OR 10-037: “Transportation Patterns of Older Drivers in Rural Michigan”Michigan Department of Transportation, Lansing, MIhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91979/1/102872.pd

Evaluation of the Michigan TACT Program

This report documents the evaluation of the Michigan Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) program. The TACT program was conducted in three 2-week waves in the fall of 2013 near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Comparable sites in southeast Michigan served as a comparison area. The TACT program combined high visibility enforcement with a public information and education (PI&E) campaign focused on unsafe driving behaviors of cars and trucks near each other. An evaluation of the TACT implementation found that that the enforcement and PI&E plans were followed reasonably well. Outcomes in terms of driver behaviors, attitudes, and traffic safety were tested by means of surveys of motorists and truck drivers; an observational study of passing and merging behaviors of passenger cars near large trucks; and analysis of crash data. A before/after with comparison design was used to measure any effect in each outcome. Results indicated that the PI&E messages reached the drivers in the program area. Analysis of the survey data did not identify any statistically significant changes in self-reported behaviors among the drivers in the program area. The proportion of safe passing and merging maneuvers recorded in the observational study were quite high before the program and did not change significantly after the program. A Poisson crash rate model adjusted for over-dispersion and using six-years of monthly crash data from the program and comparison areas was developed. It accounted for traffic volumes, proportion of trucks in the traffic, snowfall and precipitation, and the economy. The crash data analysis did not identify significant effects of the program on crash rates.Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, Michigan State Policehttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109414/1/103138.pd

Documenting how states recently upgraded to primary seat belt laws

States with primary seat belt enforcement laws consistently have higher observed daytime belt use rates than secondary law States. Secondary belt law States, on the other hand, consistently have more occupant fatalities who were not restrained than primary law States. Since the year 2000, 14 States upgraded their seat belt laws to primary enforcement status. This study documented the roles, strategies, resources, and arguments these States used in efforts to pass primary belt laws. In-depth information was gathered from 10 case study States that passed their laws in 2004 to 2009 (Tennessee, South Carolina, Alaska, Mississippi, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Arkansas, Florida, and Wisconsin). The research team conducted a literature review to provide background on the legislative histories of passing primary safety belt laws and to identify people and topics for subsequent interviews. Over 80 in-depth interviews were conducted with a variety of people who played key roles in the process of upgrading to primary enforcement to identify successful strategies, describe concerns from the opposition, and outline approaches used to overcome these concerns. Each of the 10 case study States was unique in terms of the approach used to pass a primary belt law, but there were common efforts and themes among them. Issues that were important in passing a primary seat belt law included: understanding that passing a primary law is a multiyear effort involving a broad-based network of organizations and individuals working in the unique political situation in the State; identifying and effectively responding to opposition arguments; maximizing awareness of the availability of Section 406 Safety Belt Performance Grants, a portion of which could be used for highway and infrastructure projects; using paid lobbyists to provide information and address concerns of legislators; engaging the media to enlist and report on public support; presenting the bill in terms of a public health issue to save lives, reduce injuries, and reduce State medical expenditures; and using a variety of legislative techniques. The top two opposition concerns were intrusion of government on personal freedoms and racial profiling. Advocates addressed these concerns by pointing out that a primary law simply changed how an existing State belt law was enforced, making it like all other traffic violations; bringing in experts on race, public health, and law enforcement, showing how increasing belt use would result in significant health care savings and save lives; and by separating the issue of primary enforcement from racial profiling. Many brought in minority groups, universities, and medical communities to discuss primary belt laws in public health terms and some included separate legislation to address racial profiling concerns.U.S. Department of Transportation/NHTSAhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99589/1/102961.pd

Characteristics of informal caregivers who provide transportation assistance to older adults.

The study aim was to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of informal caregivers who provide transportation assistance and to explore the types and frequency of this assistance. A telephone survey was administered to a representative sample of 268 informal caregivers (age 45-80) who provide transportation assistance to older adults (age 70 and older) in Michigan. Responses were analyzed overall and by the caregiver sex and care recipient age. Informal transportation caregivers were: most often women; on average 61 years old; generally college educated; employed full- or part-time jobs; relatively healthy; providing care to a parent/family member 1-4 times per week, living close to the care recipient; and providing assistance by giving rides. Less than one-half of caregivers sought information to help them provide assistance. No significant burden was reported and there were few differences by sex of the caregiver of the age group of the care recipient