Newer Model Years Are Associated with Reduced Risk of Motor Vehicle Crash Fatalities among Older Drivers

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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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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Association of Photopic and Mesopic Contrast Sensitivity in older drivers with risk of motor vehicle collision using naturalistic driving data

BMC Ophthalmology ◽

10.1186/s12886-020-1331-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cynthia Owsley ◽

Thomas Swain ◽

Rong Liu ◽

Gerald McGwin ◽

Mi Young Kwon

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Contrast Sensitivity ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Age Groups ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Older Drivers ◽

Crash Risk ◽

Sensitivity Testing ◽

Naturalistic Driving

Abstract Background Older drivers have a crash rate nearly equal to that of young drivers whose crash rate is the highest among all age groups. Contrast sensitivity impairment is common in older adults. The purpose of this study is to examine whether parameters from the photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity functions (CSF) are associated with incident motor vehicle crash involvement by older drivers. Methods This study utilized data from older drivers (ages ≥60 years) who participated in the Strategic Highway Research Program Naturalistic Driving Study, a prospective, population-based study. At baseline participants underwent photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity testing for targets from 1.5–18 cycles per degree. Model fitting generated area under the log CSF (AULCSF) and peak log sensitivity. Participant vehicles were instrumented with sensors that captured continuous driving data when the vehicle was operating (accelerometers, global positioning system, forward radar, 4-channel video). They participated for 1–2 years. Crashes were coded from the video and other data streams by trained analysts. Results The photopic analysis was based on 844 drivers, and the mesopic on 854 drivers. Photopic AULCSF and peak log contrast sensitivity were not associated with crash rate, whether defined as all crashes or at-fault crashes only (all p > 0.05). Mesopic AULCSF and peak log sensitivity were associated with an increased crash rate when considered for all crashes (rate ratio (RR): 1.36, 95% CI: 1.06–1.72; RR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.01–1.63, respectively) and at-fault crashes only (RR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.16–1.93; RR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.07–1.78, respectively). Conclusions Results suggest that photopic contrast sensitivity testing may not help us understand future crash risk at the older-driver population level. Results highlight a previously unappreciated association between older adults’ mesopic contrast sensitivity deficits and crash involvement regardless of the time of day. Given the wide variability of light levels encountered in both day and night driving, mesopic vision tests, with their reliance on both cone and rod vision, may be a more comprehensive assessment of the visual system’s ability to process the roadway environment.

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Impact of gender on first eye cataract surgery and motor vehicle crash risk for older drivers

Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology ◽

10.1111/j.1442-9071.2011.02751.x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 40 (6) ◽

pp. 591-596 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Lynn B Meuleners ◽

Jonathon Q Ng ◽

Michelle Fraser ◽

Delia Hendrie ◽

Nigel Morlet

Keyword(s):

Cataract Surgery ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Older Drivers ◽

Crash Risk ◽

Vehicle Crash

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The association between sudden illness and motor vehicle crash mortality and injury among older drivers in NSW, Australia

Accident Analysis & Prevention ◽

10.1016/j.aap.2004.09.009 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 563-567 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Lawrence T. Lam ◽

Mary K.P. Lam

Keyword(s):

Motor Vehicle ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Older Drivers ◽

Vehicle Crash

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Restraint Use and Age and Sex Characteristics of Persons Involved in Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.3141/1830-02 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 1830 (1) ◽

pp. 10-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Brian Ho-Yin Lee ◽

Joseph L. Schofer

Keyword(s):

Motor Vehicle ◽

Age Groups ◽

The United States ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Sex Characteristics ◽

Young Males ◽

Vehicle Crash ◽

Restraint Use ◽

Fatal Crashes ◽

Age And Sex

The lap and shoulder belt combination can reduce the risk of fatal motor vehicle crash injuries to front-seat occupants by 45% and the risk of moderate-to-critical injuries by 50%. The significant life- and cost-saving potentials of these restraining devices, installed in virtually every vehicle in the United States, are well recognized, but the benefits come only from their actual use. Identified are two demographic characteristics of unrestrained persons involved in fatal crashes, age and sex, to provide a basis for targeting educational and promotional efforts to encourage restraint use among the most vulnerable groups. Analyses are based on 1996 to 2000 crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, compared with exposure data from the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey. This study found that the risk of sustaining fatal injuries in a vehicle crash is reduced by 54% when occupant restraints are used. A much higher proportion of young males in the 16 to 19 and 20 to 24 age groups involved in fatal crashes do not use restraints, about 1.72 and 1.69 times greater, respectively, than those who do use restraints. While females in these age groups are also overrepre-sented, the extent of this excess is less than that of males. This underscores the need to find ways to educate young people, especially young males, about the benefits of restraint use.

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Rural Motor Vehicle Crash Risk of Death is Higher After Controlling for Injury Severity

Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery ◽

10.1097/01.ta.0000231696.65548.06 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 62 (1) ◽

pp. 221-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Robert L. Muelleman ◽

Michael C. Wadman ◽

T Paul Tran ◽

Fred Ullrich ◽

James R. Anderson

Keyword(s):

Injury Severity ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Crash Risk ◽

Risk Of Death ◽

Vehicle Crash

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Motor Vehicle Crash Testing Regulations for More Inclusive Populations

Journal of Science Policy & Governance ◽

10.38126/jspg180410 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (04) ◽

Author(s):

Hannah Frye ◽

Daphne Ko ◽

Emilee Kotnik

Keyword(s):

Motor Vehicle ◽

Motor Vehicle Crash ◽

Vehicle Safety ◽

Crash Test ◽

Department Of Transportation ◽

Highway Traffic ◽

National Highway Traffic Safety ◽

Crash Testing ◽

Vehicle Crash ◽

Safety Outcomes

There is a stark disparity in motor vehicle crash deaths and injuries between male and female drivers. Female drivers are 13% more likely to be killed than their male counterparts in similar motor accidents. However, vehicle safety test practices do not account for diverse body proportions when assessing safety outcomes. Vehicle crash testing standards only require testing of two variations of adult-sized crash test dummies: a 50th percentile male and a 5th percentile female. Automotive companies are not required to test safety outcomes in crash test model’s representative of average female proportions or of non-average body sizes and physiological compositions. Current crash test standards are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under the US Department of Transportation. This memo proposes three actions for the NHTSA and the Department of Transportation to address disparities in vehicle safety outcomes: 1) update safety standard requirements to include a 50th percentile female crash test dummy, 2) implement a federal tax incentive program for companies to include a greater diversity of vehicle occupant models, and 3) allocate funds for research and development of virtual crash testing models. These proposed initiatives seek to raise the minimum safety requirements and prioritize wider representation of vehicle occupants to improve parity in vehicle safety outcomes.

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