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Title:

Revealed Choice of a New Generation: Travel Behavior of Older Drivers in Rural New Brunswick, Canada

Accession Number:

01340744

Record Type:

Component

Abstract:

The effects of aging, in concert with high automobile dependence due to limited alternatives, means rural older people are particularly vulnerable to losing automobile-related mobility with age. The development of successful alternatives requires replicating the conditions that make car use attractive which begins with enhancing the understanding of how current rural older drivers use their cars. Detailed travel information from Global Positioning System (GPS)-based travel diaries, supported by participant stated responses can lead to a better understanding of these conditions at a level not typically explored for this group. This paper profiles the travel behaviour of a convenience sample of 60 drivers (average age 69.6 years) in rural New Brunswick, Canada collected through GPS-based travel diaries and participant-supplied contextual information. Participants completed an average of 4.29 driving trips per day and 1.06 passenger trips per day in their own vehicles, while travelling in 81% of all eligible survey days. The proportion of passenger trips taken in one’s own vehicle increased with age for men and decreased for women, and was equivalent for men and women aged 75 years and older. “Higher Order/Serving Others” and “Life Maintenance” trip purposes comprised 55% and 45% of all trips, respectively. Participants completed 67% of “shopping” trips and 72% of “medical” trips in urban areas with 76% of “social” trips in rural areas. Rural participants were able to meet many of their life maintenance and higher order needs in rural areas, suggesting that transportation access to urban areas cannot be the sole impetus of transportation policy for non-drivers.

Monograph Accession #:

01329018

Report/Paper Numbers:

11-0768

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Hanson, Trevor
Hildebrand, Eric

Pagination:

16p

Publication Date:

2011

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 90th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2011-1-23 to 2011-1-27
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

DVD

Features:

References (29) ; Tables (9)

Geographic Terms:

New Brunswick

Subject Areas:

Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2011 Paper #11-0768

Files:

TRIS, TRB

Created Date:

Feb 17 2011 5:34PM