Michigan’s Senior Driver Showcase Corridor: Implementation of Low-Cost Safety Improvements for Senior Drivers

37 INTRODUCTION As drivers age, the skills necessary for safe driving, such as vision, reflexes, flexibility, hearing and reaction time, begin to deteriorate. To cope with these changes, many drivers choose to adjust their driving habits as a means of retaining their mobility. Adjusting driving habits is one part of the puzzle; improvements to the roadway environment can be another. Traffic engineers have been able to successfully link specific improvements to the roadway environment with these reductions in driving ability, therefore improving safety for senior drivers. From September 12–15, 2004, transportation professionals from around the world convened in Detroit, MI, USA, to participate in the North American Conference on Elderly Mobility (NACEM). The conference showcased solutions for improving elderly mobility and highlighted best practices in the areas of screening and assessment; education and training; health and medicine; housing and land use; alternative transportation; and roadway design. As part of the conference planning, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and AAA Michigan developed a “showcase corridor.” This 7.3-mile (11.7-kilometer) roadway loop in Detroit included several sections of urban freeways and a section of Jefferson Avenue located near the conference venue, where specific traffic engineering improvements were targeted to improve safety for senior drivers and pedestrians. A map of the showcase corridor is shown in Figure 1. MDOT budgeted $250,000 to implement the corridor improvements. SHOWCASE CORRIDOR DESCRIPTION One year prior to NACEM, representatives from MDOT, FHWA and AAA Michigan began brainstorming and planning for the showcase corridor. FHWA’s Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians served as a starting point.1 The planning committee also conducted a review of available research and contacted many road agencies throughout North America to identify additional improvements that could be showcased. In conducting the review, the committee decided that the showcase corridor should encompass two classes of roadway: arterial and freeway. Because the showcase corridor was being developed as part of a conference, freeway and arterial corridors were chosen specifically to be located in close proximity to the conference venue. The freeway section consisted of a 7mile (11-kilometer) loop comprising four freeways (M-10 North, Interstate 94 East, Interstate 75 South and Interstate 375 South) surrounding Detroit’s downtown area. Michigan’s Senior Driver Showcase Corridor: Implementation of Low-Cost Safety Improvements for Senior Drivers