Older Driver Safety Facts & Statistics
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Older drivers have low crash rates per capita. When exposure (amount of driving) is taken into account, however, older drivers have higher crash rates than any other group except for teenagers.
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Older drivers are more susceptible to medical complications following motor vehicle crash injuries. This means they're more likely than younger crash victims to die from their injuries.
- 6,730 persons 65 years and older died in motor vehicle crashes in 2003. This is a 7.7 percent drop since 1998.
- Eighty-five percent of elderly fatalities in 2003 motor vehicle crashes were passenger vehicle occupants, and 15 percent were pedestrians.
Population, Mileage and Licensure Rates
- Persons age 75 and older have a higher motor vehicle fatality rate than any other age group except persons younger than 25.
- Per mile driven, drivers 75 years and older have higher rates of fatal motor vehicle crashes than drivers in other age groups
except teenagers. - Per licensed driver, fatal crash rates rise sharply at age 70 and older.
Crash Types
- About half of fatal crashes involving drivers 80 years and older occur at intersections and involve more than one vehicle. This compares with 23 percent among drivers up to age 50.
- Older drivers don't deal as well as younger ones with complex traffic situations, and multiple-vehicle crashes at intersections increase markedly with age.
