Welcome to Plan for the Road Ahead. As a Baby Boomer, I remember getting my driving permit shortly after my 16th birthday and taking my driver’s test as soon as it was possible. I lived in rural areas of the country most of my life and have always depended on driving to get where I wanted and needed to go. I hate to think of the day I have to stop driving, but I plan to do it with grace and dignity – because I will make that plan. Just as I would plan my retirement, home modifications and finances, I am going to plan how to keep engaging in my community when I need to retire from driving.
Plan for the Road Ahead is the result of a funded demonstration project from the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) to improve driver safety. There are many outcomes from the project, which I may discuss in future blogs, but Plan for the Road Ahead is the showcase. Our team aims to develop and promote the idea of transportation planning as a natural routine task that all older adults need to tackle as we march successfully ahead in the aging process.
We welcome your comments, questions and ideas! While there are many websites that offer outstanding information – to which we will provide links – Plan for the Road Ahead focuses mainly on Transportation Planning. Use our interactive form to make your plan and our calculator to see how other ways of getting around may not be as expensive as you think. By learning, planning and testing out these first steps, you can be in the driver’s seat even when you’re not driving.
Dr. Anne Dickerson
