During the holiday season and throughout the year, we all want those in our community to be safe. Help us get the word out for Older Driver Safety Awareness Week (ODSAW).
Every year, the Clearinghouse for Older Road User Safety (ChORUS), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), observe ODSAW. This year, ODSAW runs from December 4-8, 2023, and ChORUS has developed a campaign dedicated to promoting road safety among older drivers.
Although older drivers are less likely to drive aggressively or to drive over the speed limit, they are considered vulnerable road users because of the frailty and fragility that may come along with aging. Due to age-related vulnerabilities, older road users are more likely to be injured or killed in motor vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle crashes. Older adults are not only at a greater risk of injury but also may have a long recovery period from the injuries, and are likely to experience lasting impacts on their daily activities as a result of those injuries.
Older Driver Safety Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to promote older driver safety and plan for meeting older adults’ mobility and transportation needs. ChORUS has resources to help professionals and family members or caregivers share information and encourage older driver traffic safety.
This year you can utilize familiar resources from last year’s ODSAW, and a few new ones! These new additions include:
- Radio spot language
- Talking points
- Twitter chat discussion prompts
- A new poster
- New social media messaging samples
Individuals and safety advocates can support older adults in their community by sharing these resources, promoting transportation planning, and supporting older drivers implement their transportation plan.
We encourage you to learn more by exploring the Older Driver Safety Awareness Week resource page, and following ChORUS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.