Mature Drivers

Relatively few deaths of elderly people--1 percent or fewer--involve motor vehicles. Cancer, heart disease, and stroke are the leading causes of death among people 65 years and older. Fewer elderly people are licensed to drive, compared with younger groups, and they drive fewer miles per licensed driver.

On the other hand, there's cause for concern when elderly people do drive because they have higher rates of fatal crashes per mile driven, per 100,000 people, and per licensed driver than any other group except young drivers. A problem is that elderly drivers don't deal as well as younger ones with complex traffic situations, and multiple-vehicle crashes at intersections increase markedly with age. Elderly drivers are more likely to get traffic citations for failing to yield, turning improperly, and running stop signs and red lights.

Once they're in crashes, elderly people are more susceptible than younger people to medical complications following motor vehicle crash injuries. This means they're more likely to die from their injuries.

The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System:

• 7,078 people 65 years and older died in motor vehicle crashes in 1996, 1 percent more than in 1995 and 32 percent more than in 1975.
• Eighty percent of elderly deaths in 1996 motor vehicle crashes were passenger vehicle occupants, and 17 percent were pedestrians.
• People 65 years and older represented 13 percent of the population in 1996 and 17 percent of motor vehicle deaths. By 2030, elderly people are expected to represent 20 percent of the population.

Population, Mileage, and Licensure Rates

• People age 70 and older have more motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 people than other groups except people younger than 25.
• Per mile driven, drivers 75 years and older have higher rates of fatal motor vehicle crashes than drivers in other age groups except teenagers.
• Per licensed driver, fatal crash rates rise sharply at age 70 and older.
• About half of fatal crashes involving drivers 80 years and older occur at intersections and involve more than one vehicle. This compares with 23 percent among drivers up to age 50.
• People 75 years and older have the highest pedestrian death rates per 100,000 people.
• At age 80 and older, the pedestrian death rate per 100,000 among men is more than 3 times as high as at age 79 and younger.

Gender Differences

• The motor vehicle death rate per 100,000 people begins to rise among males at age 65. By age 80 and older, the rate among men is more than twice as high as it is at age 40-74.
• At all ages, males have much higher motor vehicle death rates per 100,000 people compared with females. By age 85 and older, the rate is more than 3 times as high among men as among women.

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