Elderly drivers dangerous

Older drivers, particularly those aged 75+, have higher crash death rates than middle-aged drivers (aged ). 3 Higher crash death rates among this age group are primarily due to increased vulnerability to injury in a crash. Across all age groups, males have substantially higher death rates than females. 4. Seniors as a whole experience a higher death rate due to car accidents. Those aged 65 and older had a vehicular death rate of per , persons in Seniors 80 and older had the highest death rate at , which is nearly 77% higher than the national average of Estimated Reading Time: 8 mins. Unsafe senior driving is a serious issue. When you see warning signs that your parent or spouse is no longer safe behind the wheel, it’s time to get them to stop driving. But some older adults stubbornly refuse to give up the keys, no matter what.

Interestingly, those who are 65 and over are most likely to consider elderly drivers more of a danger on the road than drunk drivers. Even though they’re more aware than any other group that continuing to drive becomes increasingly hazardous as they age, it’s not always clear to either their families or them when that time has come. Older drivers are much less likely to drink and drive. Older drivers involved in fatal crashes in had the lowest proportion of intoxication of all adult drivers (NHTSA, ). 2. Most older drivers restrict or cease driving when they experience changes in their ability to drive. But we are not always driving as safely as we once did. Vision weakens over time, as does reaction time. Sometimes medications play a role, causing drowsiness or confusion. Older drivers have the highest fatal crash rate of any group except teenagers. By , more than 70 million Americans will be aged 65 or older.

Jul Drivers 65 and older are 16 percent likelier than adult drivers (those 25–64 years old) to cause an accident, and they pose much less risk to. Accident Statistics for Older Drivers · According to a recent study from AAA, “seniors are outliving their ability to drive safely by an average of 7 to 10 years. Older drivers are more likely to get into multiple-vehicle accidents than younger people do, and the accidents are more dangerous for them than for younger.