Factors that Increase an Older Driver's Risk of Crashing

Since older drivers drive more safely and have fewer crashes than other age groups, greater awareness of danger in the following situations can help them avoid collisions and help communities minimize the danger by creating safer road conditions (for example, improving placement and using larger signs).

Older drivers have a greater risk of crashing when:

• Turning at an intersection
• Making a left turn across traffic
• Merging, exiting or changing lanes on a limited-access highway²⁰

When older drivers are involved in traffic fatalities, crashes typically occur:

• During the daytime (82 percent)
• On weekdays (71 percent)
• With the involvement of another vehicle (73 percent)²¹

In two-vehicle fatal crashes involving an older driver and a younger driver:

• Older drivers are more likely to be struck (nearly three times as likely)
• Older drivers are more likely to be turning left (six times as often as the younger driver)²²

When older drivers make mistakes in driving, they tend to err in the following ways:

• Inadequate scanning of roadways for other vehicles or pedestrians
• Difficulty in staying in the same lane, on straight roads or when turning
• Difficulty in selecting the correct lane to turn from
• Inappropriate or delayed stopping
• Unsignaled lane changes
• Failure to respond appropriately to road signs or signals²³

These driving errors are often the result of functional impairments related to conditions that become more frequent with aging, such as changes in vision or slowed response time (both physical and mental). It is important for physicians to properly diagnose and treat conditions that affect driving, and notify families if a condition will affect an individual's ability to drive safely. Behind-the-wheel retraining with an occupational therapist and the installation of adaptive technologies that make the car easier to use can address many common functional impairments.

²⁰ NHTSA (Aug. 2001) "At-risk Drivers and Crashes." Older Road User Research Plan. U.S. Dept. of Transportation. No. DOT HA 809 322. Retrieved from NHTSA on the World Wide Web: www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/olddrive/OlderRoad/appendix.htm.

²¹ NHTSA (2001) Traffic Safety Facts 2001 1. U.S. Dept. of Transportation. No. DOT HS 809475. Also available at NHTSA on the World Wide Web: www.nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2001.pdf

²² Ibid.

²³ NHTSA (Aug. 2001) "Errors Committed by Older Drivers." Older Road User Research Plan.