How timely this article is! Last month, my 80-year-old mother who lives in a SW Cleveland suburb could not attend the funeral of her brother in Cincinnati because Ohio does not have trains. She couldn't drive as the last time she drove long-distance she fell asleep at the wheel and hit a guardrail. So the only option for her was to get to downtown Cleveland to catch the 4:30 a.m. Greyound to Cincy, which wasn't an option. Had there been a train that left SW Cleveland at 7 a.m. and got to Cincinnati by noon, as proposed, she could have attended her brother's funeral. We may not all be poor or disabled, but we will all get old...
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Nov. 9, 2010
As boomers age, 1 in 5 drivers will be oldsters
By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press Joan Lowy, Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Remember "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena"? Baby boomers who first danced to that 1964 pop hit about a granny burning up the road in her hot rod will begin turning 65 in January. Experts say keeping those drivers safe and mobile is a challenge with profound implications.
..."For many, our homes will not be just a place to age, it will also be house arrest," said Coughlin.
A 40-year-old needs 20 times more light to see at night to see than a 20-year-old, Coughlin said. Older drivers generally are less able to judge speed and distances, their reflexes are slower, they may be more easily confused and they're less flexible, which affects their ability to turn so that they can look to the side or behind them.
"As people get older and lose the ability to drive, they narrow and narrow their circle of friends and their circle of activities until it gets to the point where they are housebound and they don't move at all," Rosenbloom said.
READ MORE AT:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101109/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_aging_drivers
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Nov. 9, 2010
As boomers age, 1 in 5 drivers will be oldsters
By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press Joan Lowy, Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Remember "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena"? Baby boomers who first danced to that 1964 pop hit about a granny burning up the road in her hot rod will begin turning 65 in January. Experts say keeping those drivers safe and mobile is a challenge with profound implications.
..."For many, our homes will not be just a place to age, it will also be house arrest," said Coughlin.
A 40-year-old needs 20 times more light to see at night to see than a 20-year-old, Coughlin said. Older drivers generally are less able to judge speed and distances, their reflexes are slower, they may be more easily confused and they're less flexible, which affects their ability to turn so that they can look to the side or behind them.
"As people get older and lose the ability to drive, they narrow and narrow their circle of friends and their circle of activities until it gets to the point where they are housebound and they don't move at all," Rosenbloom said.
READ MORE AT:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101109/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_aging_drivers
Ken Prendergast
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
www.allaboardohio.org
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
www.allaboardohio.org
