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By the year 2020, there will be more than 50 million Americans
age 65 and older and, by the year 2050, there
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will be roughly 80 million adults in this age category. It
is well established that age-related declines in vision, cognition
and physical abilities will affect how older road users drive
and how they use other transportation modes. As former U.S.
Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta wrote in a Public
Records editorial, "Without additional attention to the
needs of older citizens, the United States faces critical national
impacts not only in terms of transportation safety, but also
for the independence and mobility of the senior population.
The specialized needs of older road and transit users will place
new demands and strains on America's transportation system."
Engineering based countermeasures are being developed and implemented
here and abroad to minimize the impact of these ability changes.
In March 2008, Tom Smith and a team of eight other transportation
safety, traffic engineering and human factors experts from the
United States visited Australia and Japan to assess and evaluate
infrastructure improvements designed to aid older road users.
The scan tour members sought policy options and initiatives
regarding transportation system planning, operations and design
as they relate to older road users. The group met with state
and federal government transportation officials, university
research centers and staff from motorists clubs and other non-governmental
organizations interested in the mobility of older people. While
the focus of the scan was on infrastructure improvements, the
team also learned about new policies for older road user training,
assessment and licensing. In addition, general road safety programs
were discussed with all agencies visited. The majority of these
programs provided a benefit to older road users although they
may not have been designed specifically with this user group
in mind. The converse of this is true as well; programs and
policies developed for older road user safety and mobility will
improve transportation for all users. The information obtained
during the trip identified several planning, design and operational
changes which could be implemented in the U.S. to improve the
mobility and safety of older road users.
Smith is the head of the Federal Highway Administration in Charleston,
W. Va. He has worked with the Federal Highway Administration
for 30 years and has served in a number of positions around
the U.S. He completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil
Engineering at North Carolina State University and is a registered
professional engineer in W. Va., Ohio and Penn.
His most recent assignments with the FHWA include the following:
Division Administrator in Charleston, W. Va. since August 1999;
Acting Associate Administrator, HQ Civil Rights in Washington,
D.C., since January 2008; Central Artery/Tunnel Project Administrator
in Boston, Mass.; Assistant Division Administrator in Harrisburg,
Penn.; and Operations Engineer in Columbia, S. C. Earlier experiences
included engineering assignments in Georgia, Ohio and California.
During his career, Tom has received the FHWA Richard D. Morgan
Leadership Development Award, the Administrator's Award for
Superior Achievement and the Strive for Excellence Award in
Innovation. He also served for three years as a Co-Chair for
the FHWA Human Resources Management Committee.
Smith grew up in West Jefferson and graduated from Beaver Creek
High School. He and his wife, Mary, reside in Hurricane, W.
Va. They have two sons: Trent, a senior, and Clint, a sophomore,
both at the University of West Virginia; and one daughter, Caroline,
a seventh grader at Hurricane Middle School.
Tom is the son of the late Rev. Tom Smith and Mildred Harrell
Smith. Rev. Smith served as pastor of the Mount Jefferson Presbyterian
Church from January 1, 1958, until April 3, 1975.
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