Addressing the Complex Driving Continuum: Needs of an Aging Population

Project Summary/Abstract The proposed three-year conference series entitled “Addressing the Complex Driving Continuum: Needs of an Aging Population” (ACDC: NAP), centered around aging, mobility, and transportation safety, aims to bring together leading experts from various fields such as geriatrics, neurology, public health, and transportation and mobility. This series is essential to address the needs of an aging population, particularly in integrating new technologies like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and artificial intelligence to enhance mobility and driving safety for older adults. The conference series will provide a space for clinicians, policymakers, researchers, community organizations, and industry partners to assess the current state of research, investigate current clinical practices for evaluating crash risk, and examine national public policy/advocacy initiatives surrounding unsafe driving and resources for alternative transportation options with a special emphasis on involving underrepresented communities, rural populations, and low-income older adults. The conference will provide a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, fostering new research and generating actionable strategies to bridge the current gaps in research and practice. The first conference to initiate this series will be held locally at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in the fall of 2025, followed by national conferences in 2026 and 2027 in partnership with the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). The aims of this conference series will be to examine research that identifies age-related medical risk factors (e.g., visual impairments, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, stroke) that increase crash risks and investigate evidence on assessment tools of driving-related abilities. It will also focus on interventions to enhance physical and cognitive skills and technologies to support the unique needs of older drivers and generate consensus on the decision-making process around driving cessation, its impact on older adults’ health and well-being, and alternative transportation options to sustain their independence. The conference will receive guidance and support from aging, transportation, and ADRD experts to ensure a comprehensive and impactful discussion. Dissemination strategies include peer-reviewed publications, webinars, podcasts, and community outreach efforts. By convening national experts from aging, allied health, transportation and mobility, neurology, geriatrics, gerontology, and public health fields, the conference is expected to foster new collaborations and generate actionable strategies to address current gaps.