What Accident Data Reveal About Elderly Drivers

Elderly drivers represent about 11 percent of licensed drivers in the United States. While accident data broken down by age groups are relatively sparse, what data do exist suggest that elderly drivers, as a group, do not pose a threat to other drivers on the road. However, the data also suggest that elderly drivers have a higher probability of serious injury relative to drivers of other ages once a collision occurs, and that the accidents in which they become involved have a characteristic pattern. More research is needed to determine if elderly driver injury rates could be reduced or if specific types of accidents could be avoided.