Seniors drive better than you might expect – and they’ve been doing so for a while, according to a February 2014 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study. Not only did the accident rate for drivers 70 years and older drop, but dropped at a faster rate than the one for drivers age 35 to 54.
The study’s authors reached their conclusion after looking at several vehicle accident indicators: national fatal accident data per 100,000 licensed drivers from 1997 to 2012; national fatal passenger vehicle crash involvements per vehicle miles traveled in 1995-96, 2001-02, and 2008; and police-reported crash data for 1997-2008 from 20 states.
The authors found that middle-aged drivers and elderly drivers both experienced an 18% drop in fatal crashes from 2007 to 2012. However, when looking at the entire period, 1997 to 2012, elderly drivers had a bigger drop in fatal crash involvement per licensed driver than middle-aged drivers (42% vs 30%). They also found a similar pattern in the data measuring fatal crash involvement per 100,000 miles driven for 1995-2006 and 2008--39% vs 26%--and police-reported data for 1997-2008—39% vs 30%. These trends also mirror those for non-fatal injurious accidents and property-damage only crashes.
The authors cited other studies explaining the factors driving these trends. The factors include safety technology, such as front and side airbags, which seem to benefit seniors than to middle-aged drivers. Another factor explaining the trend is that senior drivers are more likely to drive SUV, vans, and pick-up trucks, vehicles affording drivers and passengers more protection than cars.
