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New Program Aims to Increase Senior Mobility
By
Michael A. Piekarz
Staff Writer
A
partnership between Liberty Mutual and ITNAmerica aspires to
provide driver safety and transportation services to seniors on a
nationwide
basis.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the more than
30 million senior drivers aged 65 or older on the road today will soon need to
evaluate the physical limitations that may cause them to reduce their driving
or seek alternative transportation altogether.
By 2012, approximately 10,000 Americans will turn 65 every day, and by 2030,
America’s overall senior population will reach nearly 71 million.
Seniors and their families identify transportation issues and driver safety as
two of their top concerns. An increasing number of government and private taskforces
have convened to address the issue of senior mobility.
In many parts of the country, particularly rural areas without significant public
transit systems, seniors and their families are confronted with choosing between
homebound isolation or remaining on the road even though they may no longer have
the ability to drive safely.
Liberty Mutual, the eighth largest car and home insurer in the U.S., along with
ITNAmerica, the first and only national nonprofit transportation network for
America’s aging population, have joined forces to help keep senior drivers
safe by providing resources for seniors and their families who are seeking practical,
affordable and dignified mobility solutions.
“Today’s older Americans are among the most active and community-engaged
seniors in our nation’s history, and mobility and independence are essential
to preserve those great qualities,” said ITNAmerica founder and president
Katherine Freund.
“With the support of Liberty Mutual, we will increase this community-based
transportation network across the country, and we will provide resources to seniors
and their families necessary to make responsible driving decisions,” she
said.
ITNAmerica uses a community-based approach to provide personalized rides to seniors
who limit their driving or stop altogether. ITN volunteers from the local community
and a small paid staff use their own or donated cars to bring member-riders to
and from medical appointments, grocery shopping, work, exercise and other local
destinations.
The partnership between Liberty Mutual and ITNAmerica seeks to expand the initial
success of four ITNAmerica affiliate communities to the rest of the country.
The ultimate goal is to provide seniors with a safe, responsible and dignified
supplement to public transportation without putting an additional tax burden
on local government. The four affiliate communities are located in Charleston,
South Carolina; Portland, Maine; Orlando, Florida; and Los Angeles.
“At the core of our partnership with ITNAmerica is a shared belief that
doing the right thing through responsible acts is something to be celebrated,” said
Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual vice president of consumer marketing.
“Liberty Mutual will help ITN elevate this issue and provide actionable
resources for seniors and their families to make good, safe transportation decisions,” he
said.
The program maintains a website at www.libertymutual.com/seniordriving offering
tips for mature drivers on how to stay safe on the road and how to make adjustments
to their driving habits. It also offers guidance to adult children
on how to address transportation concerns and solutions with their aging parents.
New network affiliates planned as a result of the partnership include the cities
of Chicago, San Diego; Lexington, Kentucky; Enfield and Middlesex, Connecticut;
and the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois.
This page and its contents ©2008
Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
