Motor vehicle crash characteristics and medical outcomes among older drivers in Utah, 1992-1995

Older drivers are a growing and particularly vulnerable population. Advances in vehicle safety may reduce the risk of death in the event of a motor vehicle crash (MVC). Although previous studies have identified a relationship between increasing model years and decreased risk of death in MVC among adult drivers, this relationship has not been quantified among older drivers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between vehicle model year and the risk of death among drivers aged 65 years and older who were involved in MVCs in the United States from 2010 to 2015. Data were from a census of all fatal MVCs and a representative sample of all police-reported crashes nationwide. Drivers were stratified into five age groups (65–69, 70–74, 75–79, 80–84, and 85+). Vehicles examined were cars, sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, and vans. Overall, older drivers driving vehicles older than model year 1990 were more than twice as likely to be killed in a crash as individuals driving vehicles of model years 2000 to 2009. Older drivers driving vehicles of model years 2010 and newer had 46% lower risk of MVC death than those driving vehicles of model year 2000 to 2009. The relationship between vehicle model year and risk of death in a crash varied by driver age and vehicle type, however, the same overall patterns were observed for all age groups and vehicle types examined. These findings suggest that older adults are responsive to improvements in vehicle safety.

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Benzodiazepine and tricyclic antidepressant use and motor vehicle crash risk among older drivers

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/0924-9338(96)88723-2 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 241s

Author(s):

W.A. Ray

Keyword(s):

Motor Vehicle ◽

Tricyclic Antidepressant ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Older Drivers ◽

Crash Risk ◽

Vehicle Crash ◽

Antidepressant Use

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Diagnosed dementia and the risk of motor vehicle crash among older drivers

Accident Analysis & Prevention ◽

10.1016/j.aap.2017.12.021 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 113 ◽

pp. 47-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Laura A. Fraade-Blanar ◽

Ryan N. Hansen ◽

Kwun Chuen G. Chan ◽

Jeanne M. Sears ◽

Hilaire J. Thompson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Vehicle ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Older Drivers ◽

Vehicle Crash

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Age-Related Differences in Motor-Vehicle Crash Severity in California

Safety ◽

10.3390/safety5030048 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 48 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adekunle Adebisi ◽

Jiaqi Ma ◽

Jaqueline Masaki ◽

John Sobanjo

Keyword(s):

Injury Severity ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Safety Information ◽

Age Groups ◽

The United States ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Older Drivers ◽

Predictor Variables ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Vehicle Crash

With ongoing changes in the age distribution of drivers in the United States, it is important to obtain insights on how to make the roadways equally safe for drivers across different age groups. In light of this, the objective of this study is to examine various crash characteristics and make recommendations on how to potentially improve roadway safety for all age groups. Using the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) data, this study investigates the factors influencing motor-vehicle crash injury severity for young (aged 16–25), middle-aged (aged 26–64), and older drivers (above 64) in the state of California. A multinomial logit model was used to separately model crashes involving each age group and to evaluate the weight of different predictor variables on driver injury severity. The predictor variables were classified into four—driver, roadway, accident and environmental characteristics. Results suggest that there are close relationships between severity determinants for young and middle-aged drivers. However, older drivers tend to be most cautious among all age groups under all environmental and roadway conditions. Young drivers are more likely to explore their driving skills due to newness to driving. Middle-aged drivers are familiar with driving and tend to demonstrate less cautious behaviors, especially male drivers. Another insight obtained from this study is that older driver behavior is less dynamic compared to other age groups; their driving pattern is usually regular regardless of the surrounding conditions.

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