What drives quality of life for seniors? Driving

Demographers have been telling us for some time that Canadian society is aging, but a sense of urgency is just now emerging, heightened by the release of new data from Statistics Canada. Not surprisingly, the focus is on problems related to pension shortfalls and rising demand for government services, such as health care.

But there is a more fundamental problem just over the horizon: Most Canadians depend on their cars to get to work, carry out errands and accomplish the things that provide them with one of the most attractive qualities of life in the world. What happens when we get too old to drive?


As baby boomers enter a critical new stage, a powerful new constituency is about to arise, demanding solutions to problems caused inadvertently by planners and others who have helped make automobiles so central to our lives. After all, this generation of Canadians has higher expectations for mobility than any that preceded it: We grew up with easy access to the car, and we will do what ever it takes to hang on to this privilege