Senior Driving Statistics: Are Seniors Actually Worse at Driving?

Stereotype or Biological Fact?

According to the American Foundation for the Blind, 15.2% of people aged 75 and older have some form of vision loss, compared to 5.5% in the 18 to 44 age bracket. Other age-related declines in hearing and reaction time follow a similar pattern, allowing the stereotype that old people are worse at driving to seem to be supported by evidence.

Since around 20.3% of the nation’s drivers are 65 and older, the question of whether older drivers are worse than drivers in other age brackets has broad implications for road safety.

Statistics can be used to demonstrate that many older people suffer from chronic conditions. However, more directly relevant statistics concerning the safety and behavior of senior drivers on the road are more effective in determining the validity of the stereotype that age causes a loss of driving skills.

Statistics on Senior Drivers

According to the National Safety Council, of the 23.6 million drivers involved in crashes each year, the number of accidents in each age group decreases with each subsequent age bracket.

This means that drivers aged 16 to 19 were involved in the most crashes (25,890 out of every 100,000 active drivers), while drivers in the 75+ bracket were involved in the least crashes (4,311 out of 100,000). Conversely, looking instead at the total number of crashes without accounting for the proportion of the total drivers in each age group, the 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 age groups accounted for the most accidents.

The Foundation for Traffic Safety found similar data, demonstrating a general decrease in total crash rates and injury crash rates per 100 million miles driven as drivers aged. However, one statistic didn’t follow this pattern; their numbers showed that per 100 million miles driven, the 80+ age bracket had the highest rate of crashes involving fatalities of any age group.

These numbers can be used as evidence for several conclusions. The first is that seniors don’t seem to be responsible for more accidents numerically than other age groups, nor are they more likely to be involved in crashes proportional to the number of drivers who are 65 and over. However, they may be more likely to be involved in fatal car accidents than younger age brackets when accounting for the number of miles driven.

This could be because seniors drive around the least of any age group, practically tied with the 16 to 19 group, which had around the same number of fatal crashes per 100 million miles. However, it could also be because drivers 65 and older frequently have the highest fatality rates in car crashes, likely because they are more prone to severe injuries.

When Should Seniors Quit Driving?

In light of these numbers, there is no one-size-fits-all age for when seniors should stop driving. Since driving imparts a great sense of independence and freedom, seniors who are fit to drive should feel free to continue doing so.

However, it’s vital for their safety and the safety of others to know when to stop driving. And because of the sense of freedom driving provides, this conversation between a child and their elderly parent can be difficult.

The warning signs to watch for when deciding that you or your loved one should quit driving include an increased frequency of accidents or near misses, memory loss, or an inability to remember directions.

Yet, just as every individual’s health is unique, there is no single cutoff age when you should automatically be worried about your parents or yourself on the road. Some people are less fit to drive at 55 than others are at 85. The important thing is to have an open and honest conversation about it when the time comes.

Bottom Line

While there may be some truth to physical abilities diminishing as we age, the data on how age impacts crash rates in the United States demonstrates that in most surveys, younger drivers are the most dangerous.

However, this doesn’t mean that all seniors are safe to drive, since the frequency of health problems and the danger of dying in a crash both increase as we get older. Always talk honestly with your loved ones about your misgivings, but be open to the possibility that some older people are very safe on the road, regardless of the stereotypes you may have in your head. And if you are an older driver, remember that your independence is important, but your safety comes first.