Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drivers over the age of 70 have a higher chance of involvement in fatal car collisions compared to younger motorists, aged between 35 and 54. While driving is important for ensuring that older adults retain their independence and mobility, the risk of injury or death in traffic accidents tends to increase as individuals age, typically as a result of impaired driving ability and operating a vehicle less frequently. Learn about car accidents involving older drivers, and find out how an experienced Missouri personal injury lawyer can help people injured in motor vehicle collisions; call Steelman Gaunt Crowley today at (573) 341-8336 to book a consultation.
What Kind of Accident Is Most Common Among Older Drivers?
In comparison to younger motorists, senior drivers have a greater chance of involvement in certain accidents, such as collisions related to overtaking or merging or angle or intersection crashes. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2022, 39% of collisions involving drivers aged 80 and over occurred due to vehicles crashing into others at intersections, whereas drivers aged between 16 and 59 represent only 21% of the motorists involved in these accidents. Other common errors made by senior drivers resulting in a collision are failing to give way to other motorists, not seeing other vehicles/road users, failing to check properly before making driving maneuvers, and misjudging the space between vehicles or the speed of other vehicles.
What Percentage of Car Accidents Involve the Elderly?
When car accidents involve older motorists, aged 65 and over, more than half of the fatalities of these incidents are the drivers in this age bracket, with the occupants of other vehicles accounting for just over 20% of fatalities. Passengers older than 65 in the same vehicle as a driver aged 65 and over represent 8.4% of fatalities in motor vehicle incidents involving elderly drivers.
What Age Group of Drivers Causes the Most Accidents?
Statistics from the National Safety Council (NSC) suggest that the number of collisions varies greatly across age groups, with some groups being over-represented and others under-represented. For instance, motorists aged between 16 and 19 account for 3.6% of drivers, but only 9.1% of these motorists have involvement in all collisions and 6.1% in fatal accidents, whereas drivers aged between 65 and 74 represent 13.4% of drivers while only accounting for 7.1% of motorists in all collisions and 8.8% in fatal collisions.
As drivers age, the collision and fatal collision rate for every 100,000 motorists gradually declines until the driving age reaches 75 and older; for drivers aged between 16 and 24, the overall collision rate decreases as drivers age, but the fatality rate remains flat between 16 and 19 before decreasing from age 20. Gain a more detailed understanding of car accidents involving older drivers, and explore the legal options available to individuals injured in motor vehicle incidents caused by these motorists. Contact Steelman Gaunt Crowley today to speak to a seasoned Missouri personal injury attorney.
Do Older Drivers Cause More Car Accidents?
Older motorists generally cause fewer car collisions than younger drivers due to elderly motorists driving less, but when comparing the number of miles driven to the accidents these drivers have involvement in, older motorists are increasingly likely to cause accidents as they age. For instance, fatal vehicle accident rates per mile traveled increase exponentially when drivers reach 70 years old. Moreover, approximately 8,000 drivers aged over 65 die in car collisions each year, and more than 250,000 of these motorists visit a hospital’s emergency department to treat injuries related to motor vehicle accidents; this is largely due to these individuals being more susceptible to injuries and death compared to younger drivers but also due to other reasons, such as declining visual, cognitive, and physical abilities, taking medications that can lead to impaired driving ability, and not self-limiting their driving after becoming aware of a medical condition or impairment, including vision or hearing loss, arthritis, or dementia, which can make it challenging to drive safely.
Teen Drivers vs. Elderly Drivers
In terms of accident rates, drivers aged 65 and older are the second most likely age group to have involvement in collisions after teen drivers. Common mistakes among older motorists contributing to these incidents include poor judgment when turning left, drifting into other lanes, and being unable to react quickly to unforeseen events, like a pedestrian suddenly crossing the street.
Improving Driver Safety for Elderly Motorists
Many states have driver’s license renewal provisions that only apply to older motorists to ensure driver safety for these motorists and other road users when they operate vehicles. These provisions, which vary between states, include compulsory road or vision testing, in-person renewal, and shorter cycles of renewal. Other methods of improving driver safety for elderly motorists include the following.
Car Safety Features
Some motor vehicles have safety features that are particularly beneficial to elderly drivers, such as side airbags with additional torso and head protection, frontal airbags, and safety belts with load limiters and pre-tensioners. Other useful attributes include rear parking sensors and rearview cameras, as well as lane withdrawal warning, frontal collision prevention, and blind spot detection systems.
Driving Environment
While beneficial to most drivers, improving roadway safety is especially helpful for senior motorists. This includes making pavement markings and road signs more visible in terms of color, size, and lettering, accounting for visual impairments caused by cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration, among other health conditions. Other approaches encompass adding left-turn signals and lanes at intersections and adding directional and warning signs at roundabouts.
Speak to a Missouri Personal Injury Attorney To Learn More
According to the NSC, motor vehicle fatalities involving motorists and other individuals on the road aged 65 and over increased by 5% between 2021 and 2022 and 42% in the last 10 years. Avoiding collisions involving older adults is possible by helping these motorists realize that their situational awareness, motor controls, mental reaction, and vision worsen over time, offering family support, and ensuring these drivers avoid operating a vehicle in unfavorable conditions, such as during heavy traffic, at night, or when the weather is poor. Find out more concerning car accidents involving older drivers, and discover how Steelman Gaunt can help people who have experienced a motor vehicle collision; to continue this discussion with a Rolla personal injury attorney and get assistance with a potential legal claim, call (573) 341-8336.
