2019 SafeTREC Traffic Safety Facts: Aging Road Users

The older adult population in the United States aged 65 and older is expected to almost double between 2012 and 2050, from 43.1 million to 83.7 million. In 2017, there were 6,784 people aged 65 or older killed in a traffic collision in the United States; this accounted for 18.3 percent of all traffic fatalities, while the overall population aged 65 or older accounts for 14.9 percent of people in the United States and 19.4 percent of all licensed drivers in 2017. California has the largest number of licensed drivers aged 65 or older in the nation with 4,251,349, or 15.9 percent of all licensed drivers in the state. As drivers age, physical and mental changes including reduced visual acuity, increased fragility, restricted movement, and cognitive impairment can directly and indirectly result in age-related driving impairments.