key facts: older driverspublicaffairsresources.aaa.biz/wp-content/uploads/2016/...teen drivers cause...

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Some people believe that older drivers pose a large threat to others on the road. While certain high-profile crashes have indeed had tragic outcomes and garnered significant media attention, they do not represent the majority of older drivers. Researchers at the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety help to dispel this common myth about older drivers. Per mile driven, people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are among those least likely to crash. Drivers in their 70s get into about the same number of crashes per mile driven as do drivers in their 30s. On average, drivers in their mid- to late-80s still have lower crash rates per mile driven than drivers in their early 20s, and roughly half the crash rates of teenagers. Teen drivers cause more fatal crashes than do senior drivers. Drivers ages 65–69 have the same fatal crash involvement rate as drivers in their 30s. Even 75-year-old drivers have fatal crash rates equivalent to those of drivers in their late 20s. In fact, it is not until age 85 and older that drivers begin to experience the highest rate of fatal crash involvement of any age group. While it is true that older drivers are involved in more fatal crashes in relation to how much they drive, that does not mean that they are the biggest threat to you and me. Beginning at age 65, a pattern emerges with older drivers that becomes more pronounced over time: they become much more of a danger to themselves than to others (see the chart on reverse side). Fatal crash involvement rates skyrocket for those over age 85 because they are much more likely to die when they do crash, not because they pose a great risk to others. The primary danger facing older drivers is fragility , which refers to the increasing inability of bones and tissue in aging drivers to withstand injury due to a crash. 1 Compared to experienced middle-aged drivers, research has found that 60–95 percent of the higher death rates per mile driven for older drivers can be attributed to fragility that makes surviving a crash more difficult. By comparison, 95 percent of the higher death rates for drivers younger than 20 compared with middle- aged drivers is due to their over-involvement in crashes. 2 SAFETY KNOWS NO AGE. KEY FACTS: OLDER DRIVERS

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Page 1: KEY FACTS: OLDER DRIVERSpublicaffairsresources.aaa.biz/wp-content/uploads/2016/...Teen drivers cause more fatal crashes than do senior drivers. • Drivers ages 65–69 have the same

Some people believe that older drivers pose a large threat to others on the road. While certain high-profile crashes have indeed had tragic outcomes and garnered significant media attention, they do not represent the majority of older drivers. Researchers at the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety help to dispel this common myth about older drivers.

Per mile driven, people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are among those least likely to crash. • Driversintheir70sgetintoaboutthesamenumberofcrashespermiledrivenasdodriversintheir30s.• Onaverage,driversintheirmid-tolate-80sstillhavelowercrashratespermiledriventhandriversintheir

early20s,androughlyhalfthecrashratesofteenagers.

Teen drivers cause more fatal crashes than do senior drivers.• Driversages65–69havethesamefatalcrashinvolvementrateasdriversintheir30s.• Even75-year-olddrivershavefatalcrashratesequivalenttothoseofdriversintheirlate20s.• Infact,itisnotuntilage85andolderthatdriversbegintoexperiencethehighestrateoffatalcrash

involvementofanyagegroup.

While it is true that older drivers are involved in more fatal crashes in relation to how much they drive, that does not mean that they are the biggest threat to you and me. • Beginningatage65,apatternemergeswitholderdriversthatbecomesmorepronouncedovertime:

theybecomemuchmoreofadangertothemselvesthantoothers(seethechartonreverseside).• Fatalcrashinvolvementratesskyrocketforthoseoverage85becausetheyaremuchmorelikelytodie

whentheydocrash,notbecausetheyposeagreatrisktoothers.• Theprimarydangerfacingolderdriversisfragility,whichreferstotheincreasinginabilityofbonesand

tissueinagingdriverstowithstandinjuryduetoacrash.1

• Comparedtoexperiencedmiddle-ageddrivers,researchhasfoundthat60–95percentofthehigherdeathratespermiledrivenforolderdriverscanbeattributedtofragilitythatmakessurvivingacrashmoredifficult.

• Bycomparison,95percentofthehigherdeathratesfordriversyoungerthan20comparedwithmiddle-ageddriversisduetotheirover-involvementincrashes.2

SAFETY KNOWS NO AGE.

KEY FACTS: OLDER DRIVERS

Page 2: KEY FACTS: OLDER DRIVERSpublicaffairsresources.aaa.biz/wp-content/uploads/2016/...Teen drivers cause more fatal crashes than do senior drivers. • Drivers ages 65–69 have the same

Eventhougholderadultsareamongthesafestdrivers,thesedatastillrevealadevastatingproblem:olderdriversare,themselves,atgreaterriskontheroads,andtheirsafetyisamajorconcern.

Inthefaceofsuchrisks,olderdriverstendtobeveryresponsible:theyusetheirseatbeltsmorethanyoungerdrivers,theytendtoavoiddrivinginhigher-risksituations(suchasatnightorinrain),andtheyarelesslikelytodrinkanddriveorbeotherwiseimpaired.3

For more information visit SeniorDriving.AAA.com.

References 1. Kent,R.,M.Trowbridge,F.J.Lopez-Valdes,R.H.Ordoyo,andM.Segui-Gomez.“Howmanypeopleareinjuredandkilled

asaresultofaging?Frailty,fragility,andtheelderlyrisk-exposuretradeoffassessedviaarisksaturationmodel.”Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine(October2009);Volume53,pp.41–50

2. Li,Guohua,ElisaBraver,andLi-HuiChen.“Fragilityversusexcessivecrashinvolvementasdeterminantsofhighdeathratespervehicle-mileoftravelamongolderdrivers.”Accident Analysis and Prevention(March2003);Volume35,Number2,pp. 227–235

3. CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.Older Adult Drivers: Get the Facts.(LastupdatedMarch14,2011).NationalCenterforInjuryPreventionandControl,CDC.[CitedMarch5,2012].Available:http://www.cdc.gov/Motorvehiclesafety/Older_Adult_Drivers/adult-drivers_factsheet.html

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16- 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45- 50- 55- 60- 65- 70- 75- 80- 85-

Drivers themselves killed

Other people killed outside driver’s vehicle*

Driver Age

Dea

th p

er 1

00 M

illio

n M

iles

Dri

ven

Who Do Older Drivers Put in Danger?

Sourcedata:FatalityAnalysisReportingSystem,2008–09;NationalHouseholdTravelSurvey2008–09.

*Occupantsofothervehicles,pedestrians,bicyclists,etc.

KEY FACTS: OLDER DRIVERS