older people’s health issues
The Older Driver
Crash Rates and Traffic Violations
On average, older drivers have fewer actual crashes per year than do younger drivers. However, because they drive fewer miles than middle-age drivers, older drivers average more crashes per mile driven. Crash rates begin to increase after about age 70, and they increase more rapidly after age 80. For every mile driven, older drivers have higher rates of traffic violations, crashes, and fatalities than do all other age groups over age 25. It should be noted that older people are driving farther distances than previous generations, and this trend is expected to continue. Failure to yield right-of-way (often because they "looked but did not see") is one of the more common traffic violations committed by older drivers. Also, older drivers have more difficulty merging into traffic and may have problems at intersections, particularly when making left turns. These difficulties have been attributed to Difficulty evaluating several pieces of information simultaneously (multitasking) Difficulty judging the speed of oncoming cars or objects Reduction in field of view Yet, older drivers are often more careful than younger drivers. Many older drivers who do not have medical conditions that impair thinking and judgment (for example, dementia) begin to limit their driving to improve safety. They tend to avoid driving at twilight and at night, during rush hour, or during inclement weather. Moreover, alcohol is much less likely to be a factor in crashes involving older drivers. Older drivers are also less likely to have crashes while driving on curved roads or at high speeds. For older drivers, crashes are less likely to involve a single vehicle. Multiple vehicles are more likely to be involved. Interestingly, crash rate tends to go down with the number of passengers that are in the vehicle for drivers over age 70. Crashes involving older drivers are more likely to result in serious injuries and fatalities. The increased vulnerability to injury of older drivers is not well understood but may be due to physical fragility and the presence of one or more medical disorders such as osteoporosis or heart disease. Additionally, older drivers may operate a vehicle that is less crashworthy. Although the number of older adults who have died in motor vehicle crashes has also decreased, older adults are increasingly involved in fatal crashes compared to other age groups because the aging population is increasing in size. 