Print this page Older Driver Highway Design
Vincent D. Reynolds, MBA, P.E.
Course Outline
This course will provide a guide that supplement existing standards in the areas of highway geometry, operations and traffic control devices.
This 9 hour course will provide the reader with the knowledge to design safe and efficient highways for older drivers.
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.
Learning
Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student would have learned the following:
- The single greatest concern in accommodating older road users;
- The number of accidents occurring at intersections for older drivers compared to younger drivers;
- The activities that become difficult for older drivers;
- The highway features that become more important to drivers as they age;
- Minimum roadway widths for traveled way;
- When raised channelization is recommended;
- How stop bars can be used at the end of the channelized left-turn lane;
- Minimum in-service contrast level recommended between the painted edge of the roadway and the road surface;
- The optimum placement of warning signs for Older drivers;
- When backplates should be used with traffic signals;
- Area where most accidents occur along the roadway;
- How accident rates are higher along curves;
- Reasons for accidents along horizontal curves;
- Parameters that determines sight distance on crest and sag vertical curves;
- How to determine the spacing of roadside delineation devices;
- How construction zones affect accidents;
- How to determine the spacing of roadside delineation;
- The disadvantages of skewed intersections;
- Reasons for accidents along horizontal curves;
- The common uses of channelization;
- The reaction time of older drivers;
- Why older drivers are involved in left-turn accidents more than younger drivers;
- The braking time for the elderly compared to younger drivers;
- Why raised unpainted curbs are hard to see;
- The age group that generally drive larger vehicles;
- The types of vehicles that are most likely to be involved in an accident;
- How channelization areas provide refuge for older pedestrians;
- The average walking speeds of elderly pedestrians;
- The age group that are overinvolved in left-turn maneuvers;
- The preferred curb geometry for older drivers;
- The types of physical ailments that affects older drivers;
- How large curb radii can affect right-turn speeds;
- The safest types of left-turn control;
- How to determine the legibility distance for older observers;
- The braking reaction time that is representative of most drivers; and
- What plays a role in the detectability of pedestrians.
Intended Audience and Benefit
This is intended for highway engineers, planners, traffic engineers, designers, project managers, any persons working in civil engineering field or anyone with an interest in Older Driver Highway Design and roadway construction.
Course Introduction
Older drivers are using the nation’s highways at increasing numbers which may pose challenges in the decades ahead for transportation engineers to ensure system safety and operational efficiency of our roadways. The 65 and older group will exceed 50 million by 2020, accounting for approximately one-fifth of the population of driving age in this country.
Course Content
This course will provide a guide that supplement existing standards in the areas of highway geometry, operations and traffic control devices. The course material is based on the document “Older Driver Highway Design,” published on the website of the Federal Highway Administration.
Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.
Course Summary
The information presented in this course provided a detailed overview of the characteristics of older drivers and supplemental information to existing standards and guidelines in highway design and traffic control devices.
Using good engineering judgment is always paramount in any situation. Utilizing good judgment and the knowledge gained in this course will aid the reader with the knowledge to successfully design roadways for older drivers.
Related Links
For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/
www.aashto.com
www.ite.com
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
