Older Drivers Found to Have Lowest Crash Rates

WASHINGTON —  Older drivers have long been considered unsafe drivers, hindrances in a fast-paced society. But new studies show that seniors behind the wheel are a greater threat to themselves than to their fellow travelers.

The studies, released Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which represents major auto insurers, show that older drivers have a higher death rate than other groups because they are more susceptible to injury, not because they have more accidents.

The research, the first the institute has done on older drivers, was designed to look at the experience of such drivers and the safety problems they might present for society. The number of people older than 65 is expected to double to 70 million in the next 30 years as the baby boom generation hits retirement age.

“The general perception is that older drivers are a menace on the road,” said Susan Ferguson, senior vice president for research at the institute and one of the authors of the studies. “I think the bottom line of the study is that they are really not a menace to anyone but themselves.

“We should be paying attention to this issue and thinking about ways to improve the safety of the vehicle.”

The studies show that older drivers kill fewer motorists and pedestrians than any other age group and have the lowest crash rates per licensed driver. The number of older drivers is growing at a faster rate than any other age group, and older drivers are keeping their licenses longer and driving more miles.

Older drivers are expected to continue to be underrepresented in all crashes.

The study used federal statistics from the National Personal Transportation Survey for 1995, the latest year available.

It showed that people older than 65 accounted for 17% of the population and 14% of licensed drivers. Older drivers were involved in 8% of police-reported accidents but made up 13% of the drivers in fatal crashes.

Ferguson said this trend is expected to continue as the statistics are updated.