IIHS Study Says Risk of Fatal Crashes is Down among U.S. Older Drivers

A few months ago, our Houston crash injury lawyers wrote about how statistical data from recent years revealed increased risks of fatal crashes for older drivers. The risk increased at age 75 generally. But research showed that it wasn’t so much age that was at fault for the increased risk; it was the greater number of miles driver by senior drivers compared to past decades. And crash risk goes up as the number of miles traveled goes up for all age groups.

The concern regarding growing numbers of serious injury and fatal crashes as the American population continued to age has drawn the attention of researchers, government officials, and the insurance industry. Study results released just a couple of weeks ago by the IIHS, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, say that there’s little reason to worry however.

The study reported that today’s drivers of age 70 or older are less likely to crash or to be injured or killed if they do crash than drivers of the same age group from previous generations. Our Houston crash injury lawyers note that the IIHS points to recent safety developments in vehicles, like airbags, and to increased health among senior citizens as the reasons behind the falling accident rates.

Since 1997 specifically, senior drivers have shown greater declines in fatal crash rates per licensed driver and per vehicle miles driven than drivers in the 35 to 54 age group. In the senior age group, fatal crash rates per driver fell 42%, while they only fell 30% for middle-aged drivers. The largest decline was among drivers aged 80 or over. (Joan Lowy, Associated Press, 2/20/14)

The reason for the decline is not that older drivers travel less. On the contrary, from 1995 to 2008, drivers 75 and older increased their annual number of miles driven by more than 50%.

In 2012, Americans of age 70 and above formed 9% of the population. By 2050, they’re expected to make up 16% of the U.S. population. So the decline in crash rates among senior drivers is a good thing.

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