How old is too old to drive? No question is more likely to ignite debate among seniors than that one, with many pointing out that competence behind the wheel, not age, should be the determining factor.
Even so, researchers at Kansas State University are taking a close look at the numbers, focusing on the age of the drivers and the number of severe accidents. The researchers say they have found that most car accidents involving older drivers occur during daytime and are more severe, often involving injuries or fatalities, compared with those of younger populations.
With this knowledge, the researchers plan to follow up with a study looking into what changes can be made to reduce such potential problems for older drivers.
The focus will be on measures to lower the number of crashes involving older drivers, as well as the severity of the crashes that do occur. The objective of the research, however, is not to take the keys away from seniors. In fact, it's aimed at finding ways to keep older Americans driving longer.
Dissanayake started the project, funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, in 2008 with Loshaka Perera, a former Kansas State graduate student in civil engineering. Dissanayake presented the research in March at the annual meeting of the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
Crunching the numbers
For the study, older drivers were defined as people 65 years and older. The researchers collected Kansas crash data from 1997 to 2006. They then analyzed the data by age, separated into three groups: 16- to 24-year-old drivers, those 25 to 64 years old and older drivers."If you look at the number of total crashes in Kansas involving older drivers, it's not that much. That's because they don't drive as much as the rest of the population," Dissanayake said. "But if you look at crash involvement per mile driven, that's very high for older drivers."
The crash analysis showed that the crashes were more severe for older drivers compared with the rest of the population. When looking at the categories of crash severity, older drivers had the highest incidents in fatal crashes, as well as incapacitating and non-incapacitating crashes. Older drivers also had a higher percentage of crashes occurring at intersections and accidents happening during daylight.
"That doesn't necessarily mean it's more dangerous during daytime," Dissanayake said. "It could be because older drivers do most of their driving during the daylight hours."
Most of the older-driver crashes involved colliding with another vehicle while in traffic. Few involved running off a road and hitting something, which is more common for young drivers, Dissanayake said. Right before their crashes, most of the older drivers were driving straight ahead, but a significant number were making left turns. Dissanayake said making a left turn is especially difficult when there is no green arrow, leaving the maneuver to the driver's judgment.
The study also solicited the personal opinions and experiences of older drivers. The researchers distributed a survey for older drivers around Kansas at places such as senior centers, retirement communities and churches. The results showed that more than 92% of the participants had more than 50 years of driving experience, and 41% said they drove every day.
Continued: Still driving, but not a lot
