The ability to get around, or mobility, is a basic human need just like the need for food and water. In the US, many of us use a personal motor vehicle to get around. The mobility provided by motor vehicle transportation, however, comes at a price. The World Health Organization has estimated that traffic crashes are the third leading cause of death and injury in the world. Traffic crashes in the US are the leading cause of death for people age 2 through 33 years. In 2005, 43,443 people were killed in over 6 million police-reported crashes while nearly 3 million were injured.

Both young people and older adults present unique safety and mobility challenges, but for different reasons. Both younger and older drivers have significantly higher risk of involvement in both fatal and all motor vehicle crashes, per mile driven. For younger drivers, this increased crash risk likely results from immaturity and driving inexperience. For older drivers, it results from changes in driving-related abilities due to medical conditions, the medications used to treat those conditions, and the aging process itself, as well as the increased frailty associated with aging.

The M-CASTL activities are focused on helping to save the lives of young and older drivers, while maintaining the quality of life for both younger and older people. If you would like to help with these activities, you can help support our activities by giving a gift to the M-CASTL.

If you are interested in supporting our activities, please contact:

David W. Eby, PhD
Research Associate Professor and Head
Social and Behavioral Analysis Division
University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
Director, Michigan Center for Advancing Safe Transportation throughout the Lifespan
2901 Baxter Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2150
734/763-2466 (p); 734/936-1076 (f)
eby@umich.edu