The older driver in Oregon : a survey of driving behavior and cessation.
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Summary
This study investigates the driving behaviors and cessation patterns of older adults in Oregon to inform transportation planning for the state’s aging population. Motivated by the need to understand factors influencing driving cessation, barriers to stopping, and the availability of alternative transportation, the research aimed to determine how older adults transition from driving to non-driving status and the impact of this transition on their quality of life. The study specifically examined demographic predictors of cessation, the role of health and emotional factors, the viability of relocation for better transit access, and the warning signs or crisis situations that precipitate the decision to stop driving. The methodology employed a mixed-methods approach involving a statewide mail survey and follow-up telephone interviews conducted by the Institute on Aging at Portland State University. Data were drawn from Oregon Department of Transportation records to identify current drivers and those who had voluntarily ceased driving. The final sample included 342 current drivers (184 urban, 141 rural) and 158 voluntary ceasers (110 urban, 37 rural) who completed mail surveys. Additionally, 100 telephone interviews were conducted with a subset of respondents (33 urban drivers, 36 rural drivers, 25 urban ceasers, and 6 rural ceasers) to provide qualitative depth. Rural residents were oversampled to facilitate comparisons between urban and rural experiences. Analysis included logistic regression to identify predictors of driving status and qualitative coding of interview narratives. Key findings indicate that voluntary ceasers were, on average, 10 years older than current drivers, with a mean age of 84. They were more likely to be female, widowed, living alone, in senior housing, and in poorer health. Logistic regression identified that older, depressed females in poorer health living in senior housing were most likely to cease driving, though the cross-sectional design prevented the determination of causality between depression, health, and cessation. Driving changes occurred gradually, typically in the late 70s or early 80s. Significant barriers to cessation included fear of social isolation and loss of independence. Rural residents faced greater challenges, with nearly half reporting no public transportation available, compared to 15% of urban drivers. Awareness of special transportation options was low across all groups, particularly among rural ceasers. Most respondents did not view relocation as a viable strategy to improve transit access. The study concludes that driving cessation has profound implications for older adults' social integration and independence, with ceasers reporting reduced social activities and increased isolation. The lack of adequate alternative transportation, especially in rural areas, exacerbates these negative outcomes. The authors emphasize that transportation availability is critical for maintaining quality of life and societal contribution among older adults. They recommend further longitudinal research to establish causality and suggest that transportation planners must address the gaps in rural transit services and improve awareness of existing options to support older adults transitioning out of driving.
Key finding
Older, depressed females in poorer health living in senior housing were the demographic most likely to have voluntarily ceased driving.
Methodology
survey
Sample size: 500
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence