Death Rate Among Older Drivers Increases

Oct. 6 -- Even as traffic fatality rates are dropping in the United States overall, more and more older people are dying in car wrecks, and the death rate for them is likely to climb further unless steps are taken to make roads safer, a new report says.

The Road Information Program, a research group known as TRIP that analyzed statistics collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says that the number of drivers 70 years old and older involved in fatal accidents increased 39 percent from 1989 to 1999.

Over the same period, the number of accident fatalities across all age groups, dropped 9 percent, according to the study released Thursday.

“As our nation’s population continues to age in the years ahead, it will become increasingly important that we make the kind of roadway safety improvements that can help reduce accidents and save the lives of older drivers,” said William M. Wilkins, executive director of TRIP.

“Overall, there are more elderly drivers out there, and states should do their part in trying to reduce the number of fatalities to make roads safer,” said Paul Haaland, a spokesman for TRIP. “Better signs, wider lanes, and making a transportation network safe for everybody, not just for older people is necessary. That could reduce fatalities for everybody.”

Florida, California Top List

The state with the highest number of fatalities of older drivers was Florida, followed by California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Missouri, Georgia and Illinois.

Although Florida topped the TRIP list in this study, the state is considered to be the leader in making roadways more accessible for elderly drivers. Since 1991, the Florida Department of Transportation has done everything from adding more reflective materials to road signs and roadway markings, to widening highway lanes, to posting oversized street signs and notifying drivers earlier when an intersection is approaching.