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As America's Aging Adult Population Continues to Grow, Transportation Becomes Key Issue for Senior Drivers and Their Families
As America's Aging Adult Population Continues to Grow, Transportation Becomes Key Issue for Senior Drivers and Their Families
BOSTON, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- By 2012, approximately 10,000 Americans
will turn 65 every day and by 2030 our overall senior population will reach
nearly 71 million (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Merck
Company Foundation). As America ages, seniors and their families are
identifying transportation and driving safety as among their top growing
concerns. Indeed, the more than 30 million senior drivers aged 65 or older on
the road today (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) must now or
will soon need to acknowledge physical limitations that will cause them to
reduce their driving or seek alternative transportation altogether.
As the country recognizes seniors during May's National Older Americans
Month, Liberty Mutual, the eighth largest car and home insurer in the U.S.,
and ITNAmerica, the first and only national, non-profit transportation network
for America's aging population, have joined forces to help keep senior drivers
safe on our roads. The new partnership addresses this growing national concern
with resources for seniors and their families seeking practical, affordable
and dignified mobility solutions at
http://www.libertymutual.com/seniordriving.
"Today's older Americans are among the most active and community-engaged
seniors in our nation's history, and mobility and independence are essential
to preserve those great qualities," said ITNAmerica Founder and President,
Katherine Freund. "With the support of Liberty Mutual, we will grow this
community-based transportation network across the country and will provide
resources seniors and their families need to make responsible driving
decisions."
ITNAmerica is an economically sustainable, community-based approach to
senior mobility. It provides 24/7, personalized rides to seniors who limit or
stop driving. Caring ITN volunteers from the local community and a small paid
staff use their own or donated cars to bring member-riders to and from medical
appointments, grocery shopping, work, exercise, and a host of social and
personal local destinations. This senior transportation solution has met great
success in ITNAmerica's first affiliate communities --Charleston, S.C.;
Portland, Maine;Orlando, Fla; andLos Angeles -- as a safe, responsible and
dignified supplement to public transportation, without an additional tax
burden on the local population.
"At the core of our partnership with ITNAmerica is a shared belief that
doing the right thing through responsible acts is something to be celebrated,"
said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual vice president of Consumer Marketing.
"Liberty Mutual will help ITN elevate this issue and provide actionable
resources for seniors and their families to make good, safe transportation
decisions."
The new Liberty Mutual/ITNAmerica website
(http://www.libertymutual.com/seniordriving) offers tips for mature drivers on
how to stay safe on the road and how to make adjustments to their driving
habits. It also offers guidance to adult children on how to address
transportation concerns and solutions with their aging parents.
Liberty Mutual also will help ITNAmerica expand its network of affiliates
across the country, supporting the opening of planned new locations in
Chicago,San Diego,Lexington, Ky.,Enfield andMiddlesex, Conn.; and the Quad
Cities ofIowa andIllinois. Information about new and existing ITN
affiliates, as well as information about how to become an ITN volunteer in
these communities is available at http://www.libertymutual.com/seniordriving.
Liberty Mutual Group
"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912,Boston-based
Liberty Mutual Group (http://www.libertymutualgroup.com) is a diversified
global insurer and sixth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S.
based on 2007 direct written premium. Liberty Mutual Group ranks 94th on the
Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2007 revenue. The
company has over 41,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout
the world.
The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual
(http://www.libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile,
homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life
insurance. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships,
offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 10,000
companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.
ITNAmerica
ITNAmerica is the first and only national non-profit transportation
network for America's aging population. Our model marries the power of
information technology and the strength of local, grassroots support. Our goal
is to create an efficient and financially sustainable solution to the
transportation needs of seniors and their families throughout the world. For
more information, please visit http://www.itnamerica.org.
SOURCE Liberty Mutual
Copyright © 2008, PRNewswire
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze,
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