Meeting the transportation needs of aging baby boomers could once again change society

WASHINGTON – An analysis of government travel data says baby boomers have had a profound impact on transportation in the U.S.

The analysis, released Thursday by AARP, an advocacy group for older Americans, says boomers started driving at a young age and became more mobile than any generation before or since. Baby boomers are people born between 1946 and 1964.

Now, 8,000 “leading edge” boomers are turning 65 every day, and will continue to do so for the rest of the decade. That, too, could reshape the nation’s transportation picture.

How long they continue to work, whether they choose to live in their suburban houses after their children leave home, or whether they flock to cities where they are less likely to need a car, will have important ramifications for all Americans.

The latest installment in the joint AP-APME project examining the aging of the baby boomers and the impact that this so-called silver tsunami will have on society