Insurance Center

January 14, 2009

Chicago — The New York Times has reported that elderly drivers ages 70 and over are holding on to their licenses for longer periods of time but at the same time, they are proving to be safer drivers than in previous generations. On the one hand, this may be seen as a positive thing for those aging baby boomers who are looking ahead at retirement and hoping to remain more active, but on the other hand, the trend has led some to speculate that this will ultimately result in an added risk of increasing car accidents.

In the times story, the latest research study performed by their Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is reported, a study that may help alleviate those concerns with regard to older senior drivers. The IIHS data reveal that there has actually been a drop in fatal car accidents involving older drivers, a precipitous drop, during the last decade.

The Times reports that drivers 75 or older have far elevated death rates per-mile-traveled when compared with middle-age drivers, or those between the ages of 35 to 54. The same is true of drivers under 20. After age 80 however, the death rates are also seen to jump significantly. In spite of the fact of these seemingly conclusive and contrasting data, this doesn't necessarily mean that older drivers have a greater likelihood of crashing.

According to the Times article, the reason behind this is that in spite of the fact that crash rates are slightly higher for older drivers, the increased risk for a fatal car accident is due to the fact that they tend to be more frail.

Even while taking this into account, fatalities per capita among senior people have gone down 35% since 1975, and are now at their lowest level. During the period between 1997 to 2006, the report says, the yearly decline in fatal crashes among middle-age drivers was reported as being 0.18 per 100,000 licensed drivers. In comparison, the decline for drivers between the ages of 70 to 74 was 0.55 fatal crashes per 100,000 licensed drivers, and for those who were over age 80 it was 1.33.

IIHS is also postulating the reason that older drivers' risks continue to decline. They highlight the fact that they may simply be in better physical and mental shape than their counterparts a decade ago. In addition, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that they have determined that the driving patterns among older adults have changed. They found that seniors are spending more time in highway driving, which is considered to be safer than driving on local roads. Another factor to consider is that as a rule, more senior drivers may also be more likely to wear seat belts or to drive safer cars.