Transport and mobility challenges facing older people
How important is mobility to our health and wellbeing in later life? How safe are older people on the road? Should drivers have a driving or medical test when they reach a certain age? If older people give up driving, how do they get around?
These are just some of the questions at the heart of Professor Charles Musselwhite’s research.
He says families need to be having difficult conversations about whether an older relative should give up driving.
Encouraging people in later life to walk more and drive less can also bring health and wellbeing benefits, along with creating age friendly neighbourhoods and communities.
Professor Musselwhite, who is Head of the Department of Psychology at Aberystwyth University, outlines the scope and objectives of his research.
“Over the past twenty years, my research has focused on the transport and mobility challenges which face older people. The desire to get out and about doesn’t diminish in later life nor do the variety of activities people like to do outside their homes. But we do see a reduction in mobility, either because people don’t need to travel to work any more or – and this is more of a cause for concern – because people can’t achieve the mobility they want and need. And that’s where my research comes in.
“How do we help the mobility of older people? What can be done to ensure they can easily get to the places they need to go, be that to the hospital, the shops, to visit family and friends or just to go out and enjoy nature and life in general? Mobility is important not only on a purely practical level but also to our wellbeing, our mental health, our independence and freedom.
“In searching for solutions, I apply the principles of community and environmental psychology to understand and improve connections between the built environment, getting out and about, and health and wellbeing. I also work closely with stakeholders – including holding focus groups and workshops with older people, transport providers and other organisations - to co-produce solutions, turn theory into reality and ensure research makes a difference to people’s everyday lives.”
Driving in later life
According to Professor Musselwhite, people are not particularly good at detecting when they’re not very good at driving.
“There’s often no normal feedback loop - we drive without much reflection on our actions and it’s quite an automated process, which means we carry on driving as we get older,” he says.
“On the whole, it must be said that older people are relatively safe on the road. Their reactions may not be as quick but they compensate by using their experience, by avoiding rush hour or by driving slower for example. But at some point, there can be a coming together of conditions - such as failing eyesight, hearing or cognitive function – and it becomes more dangerous. Despite this, there haven’t been any tests in the UK to date to detect deterioration in the standard of our driving until there’s a collision.
“There are assessment centres which can give advice to older drivers which is all very helpful but it requires the individual to do that - there’s no law as such – and it’s often the ‘worried well’ who take this step. Data shows that men are much worse at giving up driving than women. Women are more likely to have family or friendship networks who give them lifts but men tend to hold on until it’s too dangerous or sometimes too late.
“We really need to address these issues, especially as they are becoming more common as people live longer. In addition, statistics show that the youngest group of older drivers – those now in their 60s and 70s – have the highest percentage rates of driving in the UK so this is likely to become even more of a problem in the coming years.”
Planning for an ageing population
In order to encourage more people to give up driving as they get older, Professor Musselwhite says changes need to be made to our built environment and public transport needs to improve, especially in rural areas.
“We don’t plan alternatives very well for an ageing population,” he says. “Our built environment is often not good for walking. Pavements are not always kept in good condition, there is poor lighting, benches are not maintained or there are not enough of them. These factors can all deter older people from walking rather than taking the car.”
As part of his research, Professor Musselwhite has also looked at the amount of time older people need to get from one side of a pelican crossing to the other.
The original time allocated was 1.2m per second but the research showed 85% of older people didn’t walk that fast.
The timer on pelican crossings has now been altered to give older people the time they need to cross the road and Professor Musselwhite’s research has been cited by the Department of Transport and others.
“Some older people have told us they sometimes choose a longer route to avoid crossing a road or just don’t go out at all. It’s different if you’re younger and more confident but we need to make sure we cater for everyone’s needs.”
Buses and trains
Public transport can also pose a challenge to older people and Professor Musselwhite has organised training sessions with some bus companies to help them better understand older people’s needs.
“Almost a quarter of people who use buses are 60 or over but they represent 43% of passengers who are killed or seriously injured on buses and 100% of those killed. Older people are more prone to accidents such as falling over if they stand up carrying a lot of shopping before the bus stops. It’s just one example of how difficult it can be to use public transport in older life,” says Professor Musselwhite.
Professor Musselwhite and his team have also worked with Great Western Railway to see what changes could be made to encourage older people to use the rail network more often.
“Older people tend to take a little longer to get off a train or make their connection, which can put them off this form of travel. Lighting is an important factor too. Going from bright daylight into a dark carriage can be disorientating. Additionally, it isn’t always easy for older people to read the signage on trains and stations,” explains Professor Musselwhite.
Based on the audits carried out by Professor Musselwhite’s team, a number of railway companies as well as National Rail have introduced small changes to help make train travel easier for older people.
Along with Andy Hyde, who at the time was leading not-for-profit research company Go Upstream, Professor Musselwhite has also provided training for members of the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT), which represents and qualifies professionals who plan, design, build, manage, maintain and operate transport and infrastructure.
“The training focused on how older people use public transport – how they buy tickets, the problems they may face when changing platforms,” explained Professor Musselwhite.
“The training went out to around 600 of the CIHT’s members and we had some really positive feedback. For example, one of the attendees told us how the information would help how they change their designs to suit everyone" while another remarked on how the use of audio clips brought new insights into the lives of people with dementia experience – ‘lots to consider and act upon’, they said.”
Professor Musselwhite was also Co-Director of two major funded research projects were completed in 2025 - the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research and the Transport and Health Integrated Research Network (THiNK).
Further Information
Use the following links to find out more about Professor Musselwhite’s research:
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