CDC

Older Adult Drivers

In 2015, there were more than 40 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States.1 Driving helps older adults stay mobile and independent. But the risk of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash increases as you age. Thankfully, there are steps that older adults can take to stay safer on the roads.

Photo: older female driver How big is the problem?

  • In 2014, more than 5,700 older adults were killed and more than 236,000 were treated in emergency departments for motor vehicle crash injuries. This amounts to 16 older adults killed and 648 injured in crashes on average every day.2,3
  • There were more than 40 million licensed older drivers in 2015, which is a 50 percent increase from 1999.1, 4

References

  1. Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US). Highway Statistics 2015. Washington (DC): FHWA; September 2016.[cited 2016 Dec 21]. Available from URL: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2015/dl20.cfm
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Atlanta, GA: CDC; 2016 [cited 2016 Dec 21]. Available from URL: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html
  3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation (US). Traffic Safety Facts 2014: Older Population. Washington (DC): NHTSA; May 2016 [cited 2016 Dec 21]. Available from URL: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812273
  4. Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US). Highway Statistics 1999. Washington (DC): FHWA. [cited 2016 Dec 21]. Available from URL: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hs99/tables/dl20.pdf
  5. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Fatality facts 2015, Older people. Arlington (VA): IIHS; November 2016. [cited 2016 Dec 21]. Available from URL: http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/older-drivers/fatalityfacts/older-people/2015
  6. Owsley C. Driver Capabilities in Transportation in an Aging Society: A Decade of Experience. Technical Papers and Reports from a Conference: Bethesda, MD; Nov. 7–9, 1999. Washington, DC, Transportation Research Board; 2004.
  7. National Highway Traffic Administration, Department of Transportation (US). Traffic Safety Facts 2014: A Compilation of Motor Vehicle Crash Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the General Estimates System. Washington (DC): NHTSA; 2016 [cited 2016 Dec 21]. Available from URL: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812261 .
  8. Naumann RB, Dellinger AM, Kresnow MJ. Driving self-restriction in high-risk conditions: how do older drivers compare to others? J Safety Res 2011;42:67-71.
  9. Quinlan KP, Brewer RD, Siegel P, Sleet DA, Mokdad AH, Shults RA. Alcohol–Impaired Driving Among U.S. Adults: 1993–2002. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2005;28:346–50.
  10. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation (US). Alcohol-impaired driving, 2015 data. Washington (DC): NHTSA; December 2016 [cited 2016 Dec 21]. Available from URL: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812350.

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CDC Vital Signs: Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths. In 2013, the US crash death rate was more than twice the average of other high-income countries. www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/motor-vehicle-safety

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