ABSTRACT
Each year, an estimated 600,000 adults age 70 and older stop driving in the United States and become dependent on others to meet their transportation needs (Foley, Heimovitz, Guralnik, & Brock, 2002). Currently, about one in five adults age 65 and older does not drive (Kochera, Straight, & Guterbock, 2005). Having to stop driving can be traumatic and life changing. It is clear from a broad range of studies that reducing and particularly stopping driving are stressful experiences for many older adults, with adverse consequences for their psychological outlook and quality of life (Whelan et al., 2006). Loss of driving can lead to increased social isolation by preventing regular contact with friends and family (Liddle, McKenna, & Broome, 2004; Ragland, Satariano, & McLeod, 2004), and is associated with not only a loss of independence, mobility, and freedom (Adler & Rottunda, 2006; Bauer, Rottunda, & Adler, 2003; Cornoni-Huntley, Brock, Ostfeld, Taylor, & Wallace, 1986; Dobbs & Dobbs, 1997) but also feelings of diminished self-worth, reductions in self-esteem, and loss of identity (Eisenhandler, 1990).
