"Carjacked" author Anne Lutz Fernandez says Time's tearful coverage of the traffic deaths of a 72-year-married Iowa couple fails to recognize the true problem: that Americans are persuaded that driving = living.
"Have you cried at your desk at work yet today? Would you like to?" Time Magazine asked last week, inviting its readers to indulge in emotion on behalf of an Iowa couple whose story went viral last week."
The driver had failed to yield at an intersection, sending another vehicle's 64-year-old driver and his wife to the hospital - she in critical condition.
Fernandez provides links to many references showing the propensity of seniors to be injured or killed in traffic crashes, and the difficulties in getting them to voluntarily stop driving.
"It would be better to focus not on the means - driving the car - but the motive, which is maintaining the mobility that a landscape built around personal vehicles will inevitably deny the aged.
Because driving and cars are bound up with cultural values, emotion rules. The act of getting a driver's license is infused with the headiness of freedom and individualism, making the denial of one seem to be a loss of these fiercely held ideals. Licensing has been made a rite of passage, making un-licensing nearly a death rite."
Thanks to Streetsblog New York City
FULL STORY: Time to See Older Drivers Through Dry Eyes
Why Golf Carts Could Quietly Revolutionize Transportation
More communities are catching on to the benefits of golf carts as a safe, low-emissions mode of transport for neighborhood trips.
Golf Carts as Transportation
Designing roads for low-speed vehicles like golf carts can make getting around safer and easier for seniors.
Keeping Senior Drivers Safe Requires Better Public Transit
Using alternate transportation and driving less can help older drivers keep themselves and others safe. But with many living on fixed incomes in car-dependent communities, how realistic is the NHTSA’s recommendation for a "transportation plan"?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.
Poor Conditions in Mobile Home Parks Put Residents at Risk
Failing infrastructure, poor water and air quality, and predatory owners endanger the health of manufactured home residents, many of whom are elderly and low-income.
How Complete Streets Stands to Lose in the FY26 ‘Skinny Budget’
The President’s proposed budget could cut key resources for active transportation, public transit, and road safety programs.
Dairy Queen and Rural Third Places
Dozens of Dairy Queen restaurants across Texas are closing, taking a critical community space with them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions