ABSTRACT

Many studies show a U-shaped age pattern in accident or death statistics. It is surprisingly difficult to assess whether or not elderly drivers are significantly more at risk of an accident. The risk of driving is greatest for drivers under 25, decreases during middle age, and then appears to increase for the over 65 age group, although even drivers aged 80+ have a fraction of the number of accidents that the under 25 year-olds have. From the above discussion, it seems likely that age-related increases in accident risk are not due to age per se, but due to age-related impairment in a minority of elderly drivers. There do seem to be age-related changes in the types of accidents in which drivers are involved, with older drivers being more likely to collide with other road-users at junctions. The biggest problems in interpreting the accident data arise from age differences in exposure to the risks of driving.