Older Adults And Motor Vehicle Crashes

If you are an older adult or have concerns about a loved one who is older, it is very important to review information on traffic accidents involving those over the age of 65. In addition to preventative measures and risk factors, you should also go over statistics on these accidents in order to recognize how prevalent injuries and collisions involving older Americans actually are.

Every year, many people sustain serious injuries and even lose their lives due to drunk drivers, those who use their phones on the road and a wide variety of other reasons.

Statistics concerning older adults and traffic crashes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that in 2019, over 250,000 older adults (which consists of those 65 and older) had to receive treatment in emergency rooms across the country as a result of injuries they suffered in traffic accidents. Furthermore, roughly 8,000 older adults lost their lives in traffic accidents during 2019.

To look at these statistics in another way, around 700 older adults suffer injuries in traffic accidents every day and over 20 lose their lives. Furthermore, more older adults are on the road now in comparison to previous years. Compared to 2000, 60% more older adults had a driver’s license (45 million) in 2018.

Traffic crash risk factors affecting older adults

The CDC states that older adults are typically safer than drivers in other age groups, wearing seat belts and avoiding drunk driving. However, many become involved in accidents due to the negligence of other drivers, low visibility and bad weather. Older adults should also watch out for age-related declines that could adversely affect their driving abilities.