Seniors Driving Longer, Crashing Less
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010The Detroit News is reporting on the results of a recent IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) which show that mature drivers are keeping their driver’s licenses longer and getting into fewer accidents. As well, the study found that from 1997 to 2008 the number of fatal crashes per licensed driver over the age of 70 decreased by 37%.
Accidents involving drivers over the age of 80 also fell during that period – by almost 50% – as opposed to a mere 20% reduction in crashes involving young drivers. Senior citizens are keeping their driving privileges longer, also. In 2008, 78% of the population over the age of 70 – about 28 million people – still had their licenses, up from 73% in 1997, and drivers older than 80 were involved in 20% fewer accidents where there were no reported injuries, while drivers between the ages of 35 and 54 saw no improvement in that area.
IIHS suggests that there are many factors contributing to this improvement. Vehicles, for example, are safer now than they were ten years ago. As well, senior citizens are leading healthier lives, and states have been paying closer attention to their older drivers. So far, twenty-six states have special driving provisions for mature drivers, including vision tests, shorter renewal periods, and requiring in-person renewals. Some states, like Illinois and New Hampshire, are even requiring road tests for drivers over the age of 75.
Even with safer cars and more careful monitoring, however, drivers who are over 70 years old are three times more likely to die in a car crash than drivers between the ages of 35 and 54.
As CEO of Posit Science I agree that it is great news that older drivers are less likely to die in an auto crash now than over ten years ago. But the report also stated that older drivers are putting restrictions on their driving and there was no statistically significant drop in the number of total crashes among older drivers.
We can improve quality of life even more by advancing the dual goal of keeping older drivers on the road while reducing the number of accidents. Recent studies have shown that brain speed and accuracy can be improved through specifically designed computer brain fitness programs, resulting in significantly safer driving. As an example, a study of Posit’s UFOV technology showed that at-fault crash risk was reduced in half over five years after training.
That technology has been built into DriveSharp, a software program that trains the brain to think quicker and react faster to help people be safer behind the wheel. You can try a free on-line risk assessment at http://www.drivesharp.com.