The role of education and training in helping older people to travel after the cessation of driving

Musselwhite, Charles

Abstract

Older people face great difficulty when giving-up driving. It is an issue that many people do not wish to contemplate or think about, yet the evidence suggests those who gradually reduce driving and replace it with alternative transport and travel cope better when finally giving-up the car. Some of the anxiety about giving-up the car is fear of the unknown and a lack of confidence in using alternative methods such as using the bus or walking. This paper looks at the potential role of education and training in helping older people gain confidence in using alternative transport modes when giving-up the car. A wholly qualitative piece of research involved 54 older people from the South of England (31 had given up driving within the last year and 24 were contemplating giving-up driving within the next year) who took part in interviews and focus groups and completed travel diaries. The findings suggest that informal and formal travel information is needed. Whereas formal travel information is accessed well, such as timetables for example, there is a dearth of information available on more informal aspects of travelling, such as knowledge of how practically to use the bus including the ease of getting a seat or carrying shopping. Emotional and practical support for people giving-up driving is also suggested as important. A “social travel group” could be set-up which would also act as a lobbying service for change in local transport and travel and offer the chance to engage in specific travel training or buddy support systems.

Citation

Musselwhite, C. (2010). The role of education and training in helping older people to travel after the cessation of driving

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Mar 22, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 10, 2016
• Journal: International Journal of Education and Ageing
• Print ISSN: 2044-5458
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 197-212
• Keywords: transport, giving-up driving, emotional support, active travel, public transport
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/987163
• Publisher URL: http://www.associationforeducationandageing.org/international-journal-of-education-and-ageing.html