Utah is home to a large and growing senior population. As people age, they often face declines in vision, hearing, mobility, and reaction time. These declines can make crossing busy streets more perilous for senior pedestrians. Understanding why seniors are at higher risk can lead to solutions that improve safety for all.
The Rising Senior Population in Utah
Utah has one of the youngest populations in the United States. However, the percentage of seniors is rapidly increasing as Baby Boomers age. By 2030, over 1 in 5 American drivers will be over the age of 65.
This senior boom has major implications for pedestrian safety. Seniors are overrepresented in pedestrian deaths, both nationally and in Utah. Pedestrians aged 65+ and over account for 32% of pedestrian deaths while making up just 10% of the population.
Physical Declines and Risk
As we age, our bodies and minds undergo changes that can impact pedestrian safety. Seniors are more likely to have:
Reduced Vision
Conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration can progressively reduce visual acuity and the ability to see objects in low light. This makes it harder for seniors to spot oncoming vehicles before entering a crosswalk. Regular eye exams can detect age-related vision loss early.
Diminished Hearing
Many seniors suffer from hearing loss, especially at higher frequencies. This makes it difficult to hear approaching vehicles or other environmental cues before stepping into the street. Hearing aids can help compensate for age-related hearing decline.
Slower Mobility
Leg stiffness, joint pain, and reduced muscle strength lead to declines in walking speed, balance, and stability. This reduces seniors’ ability to quickly cross streets. Exercise programs tailored to seniors’ abilities can maintain strength and mobility.
Delayed Cognition
Slowed information processing and cognitive function mean seniors may take longer to spot hazards and react. Alzheimer’s and dementia further exacerbate these issues. Maintaining an active lifestyle may delay the onset of age-related cognitive decline.
All of these factors likely contribute to the overrepresentation of seniors in pedestrian fatalities. While some declines are inevitable with age, steps can be taken to maximize abilities and compensate for certain losses.
Dangerous By Design in Utah
In addition to physical declines among seniors, pedestrian safety advocates cite dangerous street designs as a key risk factor. Utah’s population boom has led to rapid sprawl and auto-centric infrastructure that encourages high-speed driving.
Wide streets with few crosswalks, long distances between intersections, and short crossing times all disadvantage pedestrians. These issues are exacerbated for seniors with mobility limitations.
Improving Safety Through Street Design
While seniors will always face higher risks as pedestrians, advocates say better street design can reduce dangers. Recommendations include:
- More frequent crossing opportunities with median refuge islands
- Longer walk times at crosswalks
- Street parking and bike lanes to buffer pedestrians
- Lane narrowing and traffic calming measures
- Reducing speeds through enforcement and design
- Improved lighting at crosswalks
Utah can also increase safety through better land use planning. Clustering homes, shops, and services in compact neighborhoods makes walking easier by reducing distances between destinations.
Policymakers must balance pedestrian safety with the autonomy of seniors who wish to age in place. Complete streets that accommodate all users can allow seniors to maintain independence even as their physical abilities decline. But true culture change requires drivers to respect crosswalks and slow down.
Educating Seniors on Safe Walking
In addition to better infrastructure, educating seniors and their families on safe walking practices is key. Recommendations include:
- Wearing bright, reflective clothing when walking
- Using crosswalks and obeying walk signals
- Crossing with the light rather than against it
- Walking during daylight hours whenever possible
- Carrying a flashlight or wearing a blinking light when walking at night
- Avoiding distraction from cell phones while crossing
- Watching carefully for turning vehicles
- Being aware of blind spots around parked cars and trucks
Programs that teach defensive walking skills to seniors may reduce risky behavior. However, the burden should not fall entirely on pedestrians. Better street design takes the pressure off senior pedestrians.
The Need for a Holistic Approach
Stemming the toll of pedestrian deaths requires a holistic approach. Street engineering, land use planning, enforcement, education, and physical activity programs each play a role.
Engineers can make crosswalks more visible with signage, paint, medians, and lighting. Urban planners can cluster amenities near housing so seniors make shorter, safer trips. Police can enforce speed limits and yield laws in areas with heavy foot traffic.
Health providers can encourage seniors to prioritize strength and balance exercises to maintain mobility. Non-profits can offer walking safety courses. Finally, all road users must drive, bike, and walk more conscientiously.
With sound policies and smart investments, Utah can chart a pedestrian-friendly course and stem the tide of preventable deaths. Seniors will face inherent risks as pedestrians, but these risks don’t have to be accepted as inevitable.
The Challenges of Retrofitting Auto-Centric Cities
However, reshaping Utah’s pedestrian infrastructure requires overcoming entrenched car-centric urban planning. Much of the state’s growth occurred during the post-war era focused on automobile travel. As a result, cities like Salt Lake City and Provo developed with large block sizes and wide arterial roads that are inhospitable to walking.
Retrofitting these areas with safer crossings, lower speeds, and redesigned roads requires substantial political will and funding. Widening sidewalks, adding bike lanes, and reducing lanes often elicits backlash from drivers. Yet prioritizing pedestrian safety is crucial for the growing numbers of older Utahns.
Walkable neighborhoods with dense amenities are also more environmentally and economically sustainable. Home values rise, congestion falls, local businesses thrive, and street life flourishes when residents can walk safely.
Overcoming Objections to Change
Transforming Utah’s streets won’t happen overnight. Entrenched interests like highway builders, traffic engineers, and suburban developers benefit from the status quo. But demographic realities highlight the urgent need for pedestrian safety.
Opponents may argue that seniors should simply drive less as their abilities decline. But driving cessation restricts independence and connections vital to emotional health. Walkable communities allow seniors to age actively and autonomously.
Others contend that adding crosswalks and lowering speeds will worsen congestion. Yet well-designed pedestrian infrastructure has been shown to improve traffic flow. Allowing people to walk safely reduces driving demand.
Utahns pride themselves on self-reliance and freedom. But true freedom requires streets where pedestrians of all ages and abilities can walk safely. Prioritizing pedestrian infrastructure today will build stronger communities for generations to come.
If you or a senior member of your family has been injured in a pedestrian accident in Utah, get in touch with a personal injury lawyer at Monge & Associates. We have offices in 32 locations and 19 states, including Utah, Ohio, and Illinois.
Call now for a free consultation on (888) 477-0597.