Older Drivers Involved in Less Fatal Car Accidents

As drivers begin to age, many people believe their risk of being in a car accident increases. This belief is linked to the aging population’s eyesight, health issues and other impairments that can affect their ability to operate an automobile. Research from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety has revealed information that is contrary to this popular belief. The amount of fatal car accidents caused by older drivers has actually gone down considerably over the past decade. This data has left many wondering what is causing the decline in crashes.

Even though drivers over 70 are keeping their licenses longer and driving more than previous generations, fatalities per capita among older people have gone down 35 percent since 1975 and is currently at the lowest level. According to researchers, the decline in fatal car crashes involving older drivers ages 70 to 74 has declined by 0.55 fatal crashes per 100,000 licensed drivers from 1997 to 2006.

“It’s not what we expected to see. There were some studies, including our own research, that had predicted older driver crashes would become a bigger and bigger problem,” said Anne T. McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Institute.

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety found that one of the ways that older drivers decrease their risk of being in a car accident is to limit their driving. A separate study is being conducted that is examining how older adults restrict their driving because of declines in their health, mobility, vision and memory. The study includes drivers 65 and older in 3 states, who were recruited when they renewed their licenses between November 2006 and December 2007. Researchers involved in this study have already discovered that most drivers report at least some impairment and the extent of the impairment seems to increase with age.

Older drivers do still have an increased risk for a fatal car crash, but it has more to do with their frailty than anything else. Drivers who are older tend to suffer severe injuries, often to the chest, which leads to medical complications. However, older drivers are less likely to cause drunk driving accidents. The latest figures show that only 6 percent of drivers 70 and older who died in car accidents had blood alcohol levels above the legal limit.

If you have been injured in a car crash in Tennessee, contact the experienced car accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates at (800) 337-HURT (4878) or (615) 356-2000 for expert legal advice.

Phillip Miller & Associates
631 Woodland Street
Nashville, TN 37206
Phone: (615) 356-2000
Fax: (615) 242-1739
Toll Free: (800) 337-HURT

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