Senior Citizen Drivers Setting New Records – For
Safe Driving, Fewer Fatal Crashes
Despite growing numbers, fewer older drivers died
in crashes and fewer were involved in fatal collisions
Jan. 13, 2009 - Auto crash deaths among drivers 70
and older fell 21 percent during the period 1997-2006, reversing an
upward trend, even as the population of people 70 and older rose 10
percent, according to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety. Despite growing numbers on the road, fewer older drivers died in
crashes and fewer were involved in fatal collisions during the period
than in years past.
Compared with drivers ages 35-54, older drivers
experienced much bigger declines in fatal crash involvements. Reasons
for the fatality declines aren't clear, but another new Institute study
indicates that older adults increasingly self-limit driving as they age
and develop physical and cognitive impairments.
Compared with drivers ages 20-69, fewer people 70
and older are licensed to drive, and they drive fewer miles per licensed
driver. However, older people now hang onto their licenses longer, drive
more miles, and make up a bigger proportion of the population than in
past years as baby boomers age.
There were more than 20 million licensed drivers 70
and older in 2006, compared with just under 18 million in 1997. The
total annual miles these older drivers traveled climbed 29 percent from
1995 to 2001, compared with a 6 percent rise among 35-54 year-olds. Per
mile traveled, crash rates and fatal crash rates increase starting at
age 70 and rise markedly after 80.
These trends have raised concerns about older
drivers in fatal crashes. Their fragility makes them vulnerable to
getting hurt in a crash and then to dying from their injuries. Physical,
cognitive, and visual declines associated with aging may lead to
increased crash risk.
Fatal crash involvements decline: Earlier
research predicted that older drivers would make up a substantially
larger proportion of drivers in fatal crashes, so "the findings are a
welcome surprise," says Anne McCartt, Institute senior vice president
for research, and an author of the new studies.
"No matter how we looked at the fatal crash data
for this age group — whether by miles driven, licensed drivers, or
population — the fatal crash involvement rates for drivers 70 and older
declined, and did so at a faster pace than the rates for drivers 35-54
years old."
Declines per licensed driver increased with age so
that drivers 80 and older had the most dramatic decreases.
If the fatal crash involvement rates for older
drivers had mirrored the trend for younger ones from 1997 to 2006,
nearly 7,000 additional older drivers would have been in fatal crashes
(1,376 drivers 70-74 years old, 1,680 drivers 75-79, and 3,935 drivers
80 and older).
Fatal crash rates fell among older drivers for most
types of crashes, and the decline was dramatic for crashes at
intersections.
"The large drop in intersection crashes is
especially important because Institute and other studies have shown that
older drivers are overrepresented in multiple-vehicle crashes at
intersections," McCartt says.
"The data don't allow us to point to any one reason
why older drivers' fatal crash experience has improved. Some drivers may
have benefited from newer and safer vehicles, and older people generally
are more fit than in years past, with better access to health care."
Older drivers are mostly a danger to themselves.
Seventy-five percent of people who die in crashes involving older
drivers are these drivers themselves or their older passengers.
Older drivers limit car trips: One way some
older drivers lower their crash risk is to limit driving. A separate
ongoing Institute study is examining how older adults restrict their
driving in response to declines in their health, mobility, vision, and
memory.
Researchers recruited drivers 65 and older in 3
states as they renewed their licenses between November 2006 and December
2007. In the first of several planned interviews, more than 9 in 10 of
these drivers said that driving themselves is their primary way to
travel. Fewer than 1 percent said they'd been advised by family,
friends, or a doctor to give up driving.
Most drivers reported at least some impairment, and
the extent of impairment increased with age. For example, 26 percent of
drivers 65-69 reported having at least some type of mobility issue,
compared with 43 percent of drivers 80 and older.
The oldest drivers were more likely to say they
restricted their own driving. Drivers 80 and older were more than twice
as likely as 65-69 year-olds to self-limit driving by doing such things
as avoiding night driving, making fewer trips, traveling shorter
distances, and avoiding interstates and driving in ice or snow.
The percentage of drivers who said they limit their
driving increased with each added degree of impairment. Drivers cited
memory and medical impairments more often than vision or mobility ones.
For example, among drivers 80 and older, 74 percent reported medical
conditions such as diabetes or arthritis. Sixty-nine percent cited some
memory impairment, such as more often forgetting names and appointments
or misplacing items, compared with 5 years ago.
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