Older Drivers
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THE TOPIC
OCTOBER 2008
Older drivers have higher rates of fatal crashes, based on miles driven, than any other group except young drivers, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The high death rate is due in large part to their frailty. Older people are less likely to survive an injury than younger people. By 2030 people age 65 and older are expected to represent 25 percent of the driving population and 25 percent of fatal crash involvements. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov ), 30 million, or 15 percent, of licensed drivers were age 65 and older in the United States in 2006 (latest data available). NHTSA says 6,017 people age 65 and older were killed in traffic crashes in 2006. This represents 14 percent of all Americans killed on the road.
There is a growing need to help older drivers sharpen their skills as well as recognize their changing abilities and adapt their driving practices appropriately. Insurers have partnered with state and local governments, and groups such as the American Association of Retired Persons, to create programs designed to address these needs. In addition, an increasing number of states routinely attempt to identify, assess and regulate older drivers with diminishing abilities who cannot or will not voluntarily modify their driving habits.
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KEY STATISTICS
- In 2006 older people (65 and older) made up 14.1 percent of all traffic fatalities, 13.5 percent of vehicle occupant fatalities and 18.9 percent of pedestrian fatalities, according to NHTSA.
- In 2006 81 percent of fatal accidents involving older drivers happened during the day. Seventy-two percent involved another vehicle.
- In two-vehicle fatal crashes involving an older driver and a younger driver, older drivers' vehicles were nearly twice as likely to be struck than younger drivers' vehicles (61 percent versus 32 percent).
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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers age 65 and older consistently were less frequently involved in fatal crashes based on 100,000 licensed drivers, when compared to adult drivers age 21 to 64 years old—22.2 versus 27.7. These figures were calculated over the five years 2001 to 2005 and differ from figures that show that older drivers have higher rates of fatal crashes, which are based on miles driven. While the number of drivers age 21 to 64 years involved in fatal crashes rose 5.2 percent, 2001-2006, the number of drivers involved age 65 and older fell 3.6 percent and have fallen for two consecutive years. However, older drivers are more likely to die from their injuries due to the physical trauma of the crash.
- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a study in March 2007 focusing on intersection crashes involving over 200 drivers in three age groups—35-54-year-olds, 70-79-year-olds and 80 and older. The research found that 40 percent of the fatal collisions of people age 70 and older involving other vehicles occurred at intersections, compared with 23 percent for drivers age 35-54. Researchers studied police reports and photographs of crashes, including injuries on Connecticut roads in 2003 and 2004, and interviewed at-fault drivers. The study found that the most common reason for intersection crashes for the oldest drivers was failure to yield—58 percent, the highest proportion of the three age groups. Failure to yield was responsible for 37 percent of intersection accidents for 70-79-year-olds and for 26 percent for the 35-54-year-old drivers. These collisions were more prevalent at intersections that had stop signs (59 percent) than at intersections with traffic signals, no matter the age group. The IIHS suggests that adding green arrows to indicate left turns at intersections with traffic signals would help reduce the frequency and severity of older drivers’ crashes. Another suggestion is to construct roundabouts, which have features that slow traffic and promote efficient traffic flow and enable all drivers to navigate them in the same direction.
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INVOLVEMENT OF THE OLDER POPULATION IN TRAFFIC FATALITIES, 1996 AND 2006
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1996 |
2006 |
Percent change, 1996-2006 |
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Age 65+ |
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Age 65+ |
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Total |
Number |
Percent
of total |
Total |
Number |
Percent
of total |
Total |
Age 65+ |
| Population (000) | 265,229 | 33,957 | 12.8% | 299,398 | 37,260 | 12.4% | 13% | 10% |
| Drivers involved in fatal crashes | 57,001 | 6,387 | 11.2 | 57,695 | 5,976 | 10.4 | 1 | -6 |
| Driver fatalities | 24,534 | 4,030 | 16.4 | 27,323 | 3,735 | 13.7 | 11 | -7 |
| Total traffic fatalities | 42,065 | 7,113 | 16.9 | 42,642 | 6,017 | 14.1 | 1 | -15 |
| Occupant fatalities | 35,695 | 5,836 | 6.3 | 36,902 | 4,980 | 13.5 | 3 | -15 |
| Pedestrian fatalities | 5,449 | 1,210 | 22.2 | 4,784 | 904 | 18.9 | -12 | -25 |
| Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. |
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MOTOR VEHICLE DEATHS
PER 100,000 PERSONS BY AGE, 2006
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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STATE DRIVERS LICENSE RENEWAL LAWS
INCLUDING REQUIREMENTS FOR OLDER DRIVERS
As of October 2008
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DRIVERS IN MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES BY AGE, 2006
Age group |
Number of licensed drivers |
Percent of total |
Drivers in fatal crashes |
Involvement rate (1) |
Drivers in all crashes |
Involvement rate (1) |
| Under 16 | 211,351 | 0.1% | 275 | NA | 151,000 | NA |
| 16 to20 | 12,778,636 | 6.3 | 7,286 | 57.02 | 1,600,000 | 12,522 |
| 21 to 24 | 17,061,951 | 8.4 | 6,454 | 46.77 | 1,127,000 | 8,168 |
| 25 to 34 | 35,494,949 | 17.5 | 11,223 | 31.62 | 2,130,000 | 6,001 |
| 35 to 44 | 39,998,816 | 19.7 | 10,310 | 25.78 | 1,968,000 | 4,920 |
| 45 to 54 | 40,462,007 | 20.0 | 9,201 | 22.74 | 1,805,000 | 4,460 |
| 55 to 64 | 29,929,733 | 14.8 | 5,864 | 19.59 | 983,000 | 3,283 |
| 65 to 74 | 17,009,811 | 8.4 | 3,022 | 17.77 | 468,000 | 2,752 |
| Over 74 | 13,125,655 | 6.5 | 2,954 | 22.50 | 326,000 | 2,481 |
| Total | 202,810,438 | 100.0% | 57,695 (2) | 28.45 | 10,558,000 | 5,206 |
(1) Per 100,000 licensed drivers.
(2) Includes 1,065 drivers of unknown age.
NA=Not applicable.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Federal Highway Administration. |
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BACKGROUND
Fatality rates reflect the fact that older drivers are more easily injured than young people and are more apt to die of those injuries. In fact, when compared with drivers in other groups, older drivers have low crash rates per capita. When fatalities are measured by per miles driven, however, the fatality rate rises dramatically. Older drivers and teenagers have the highest per-mile fatal crash rates.
Licensing: Older drivers object to blanket restrictions on their driving privileges, citing the wide differences in the way the aging process affects individuals. Most states continue to issue older drivers licenses so that they can retain their mobility and independence. Publicity surrounding several fatal accidents caused by elderly drivers has brought the subject of older drivers to the attention of regulators and others. State laws differ on the issue. Some states restrict driving activities for people with certain medical conditions or after a serious accident or traffic violation. Depending on their ability, older drivers may be limited to driving during daylight hours or on nonfreeway types of roads. In most states restrictions such as these can be placed on anyone’s drivers’ license, regardless of age, if his or her medical condition warrants it.
Nine states require doctors to report any dangerous medical conditions that can impair a patient’s driving. Although this requirement covers drivers of all ages and a variety of medical conditions, at least one state—California—specifically requires doctors to report a diagnosis of dementia, which is a common symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. The importance of such requirements was highlighted by a study of accidents in Sweden and Finland, which found that one-third of drivers age 65 to 90 who were killed in crashes had brain lesions commonly found in Alzheimer’s patients, and another 20 percent had lesions that may indicate an early form of the disease. A Missouri law provides confidentiality to close family members or doctors who report incompetent drivers to the state driver licensing agency. The American Medical Association offers an Internet guide to help doctors decide whether their elderly patients are still fit to drive. Doctors are told to be alert to things that might hamper driving ability, such as cataracts, arthritis, strokes and certain medications.
State-mandated tests for the visual acuity of older drivers are an effective way to lower the fatal crash risk of those drivers, according to researchers at the University of Baltimore and the Johns Hopkins University. The researchers analyzed all fatal crashes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that involved at least one driver age 70 or older. The 1995 study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that in the 38 states that mandated vision tests for license renewals at the time of the study, drivers in this age group were involved in 17.2 fatal accidents per 100,000 older drivers. In states where no testing was required, the ratio was 18.7 fatal crashes. The researchers say that the difference in the percentage is small but significant, especially since the number of 70 and older drivers will grow substantially.
Some 35 states require drivers to take vision tests at license renewal, regardless of age (see chart). About half of the states require a road test at renewal for any driver who has had a certain number of accidents or traffic infractions, and a smaller number require written tests and medical exams if necessary. At least 15 states mandate more frequent testing for older drivers at license renewal. For instance, in Illinois and New Hampshire drivers over age 75 must take a road test when they renew their license; in Indiana, road and written tests are required, in addition to vision testing. Eight states mandate that older drivers must renew their licenses in person. Ages at which this takes effect vary among these states from 61 years of age to 79. Two others—Florida and Montana—allow only two successive renewals to be made electronically or by mail. Nevada says that all drivers must renew in person every eight years.
Limited Transportation Options: According to a July 2003 report, “The Mobility Needs of Older Americans,” issued by the Brookings Institution, increasing numbers of elderly people are concentrated in suburban areas and have no transportation options but to drive. The report found that the number of miles driven by seniors increased from 12.7 miles a day in 1995 to 15.3 miles in 2001. Among other findings of the report: 56 percent of seniors live in suburban and rural areas and seniors have shown themselves to be more receptive to transportation alternatives such as voucher and ride-sharing programs than to traditional means of public transportation.
Medication and Increased Risk: A study released in July 1997 found that certain categories of drugs prescribed for relief of insomnia and anxiety can increase the crash risk among drivers who take them, especially during the first week. Commonly prescribed drugs such as Dalmane, Limbitrol, Klonopin and others fall into this category. These drugs have a long “half-life,” defined as a drug that takes more than a day for half the drug to be eliminated from the body. Researchers from McGill University and the Royal Victoria Hospital studied 5,579 licensed Quebec drivers age 67-84 who were involved in a motor vehicle crash resulting in bodily injury during 1990-1993. In the first week of using the long half-life drugs, older patients' crash risk increased 45 percent. After one year of use, patients still had a 25 percent increased crash risk. Older drivers using short half-life drugs such as Halcyon, Restoril and others did not have an elevated crash risk. Short half-life drugs are those in which half the dose is eliminated from the body in less than 24 hours.
Some insurance companies offer discounts to older drivers who take defensive driving or other drivers’ education courses, offered by such groups as the AARP. Alabama mandates a 5 percent discount for senior drivers that take a minimum of eight hours of auto safety training.
National Web sites of interest on this area include:
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© Insurance Information Institute, Inc. - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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