Numbers

• In 1995 there were 16.5 million licensed drivers over 70 years old―a 47 percent increase from 1985. By the year 2020, the U.S. will hold 54 million Americans over 65 years of age―and many of them will be driving. (How to Help an Older Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)

Habits

• Older adults wear safety belts more often than any other age group except infants and preschool children. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services (US). CDC; 1997. [Cited 2002 June 1].)
• As a sign of continued good judgement, most older drivers recognize and avoid situations where their limitations put them at risk. They drive less after dark, during rush hour, or in bad weather, and they may avoid difficult roads or intersections. (How to Help an Older Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)
• Older adult drivers are less likely to drink and drive than other adult drivers. (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.)

Safety Record

• The individual safety records of older drivers differ as much as those of any other group. (The Older and Wiser Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)
• Older drivers become more prone to collisions with age, even though they drive less. Because older drivers are more fragile, their fatality rates are 17 times higher than those of 25 to 64 year olds. (How to Help an Older Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)
• The collision rate per mile driven rises steadily for drivers 65 and older, and those drivers are involved in more collisions per mile driven than any other age group except teenagers. (How to Help an Older Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)
• Refresher courses, reasonable limits, safe routes and other minor adjustments may help many seniors driver safer longer. (How to Help an Older Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)

Effects of Age on Driving Ability

• Experts agree that driving ability generally begins to deteriorate at age 55. Still, drivers are not all the same. Some can continue to drive safely well into old age. Others can’t. (How to Help an Older Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)
• Age lengthens the time it takes the brain to process information and also makes it harder to ignore distractions. (The Older and Wiser Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)
• Studies show that 30 percent of people age 65 or older suffer significant hearing loss, especially to high-pitched tones, such as sirens, and to specific sounds amid background noise, such as horns and railroad warnings. (How to Help an Older Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)
• Research shows that 90 percent of older drivers who fail reaction tests at high speeds perform satisfactorily at speeds 10 mph slower. (How to Help an Older Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)
• Fifty percent of the middle-aged population and 80 percent of people in their 70s suffer from arthritis, crippling inflammation of the joints, which makes turning, flexing, and twisting painful. Weaker muscles, reduced flexibility, and limited range of motion restrict their ability to grip and turn the steering wheel, press the accelerator or brake, or reach to open doors and windows. (How to Help an Older Driver, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006.)