These ages 70 and up signify 14.5% of the driving inhabitants. That’s in contrast with 2013’s 23.6 million, or 11.1% of drivers.
Photograph: Pixabay/Trang Nguyen
As the big workforce of Child Boomers ages, the share of older drivers on U.S. roadways goes up too.
The share of licensed drivers ages 70 and older has risen 30.1% within the final decade. On the similar time, the portion of deadly crashes involving drivers 65 and older has additionally elevated, from 22.8% in 2013 to 24.4% in 2022. That is in response to the newest ValuePenguin research.
Getting older Child Boomers Results in Older Driving Workforce
These ages 70 and up signify 14.5% of the driving inhabitants. That’s in contrast with 2013’s 23.6 million, or 11.1% of drivers.
All informed, it is a rise of 30.1%. In accordance with the U.S. Census Bureau, the 65-and-older demographic grew by 38.6% between 2010 and 2020 — the quickest for that inhabitants in over 100 years. Extra elders means older drivers.
There is no doubt that among the many older drivers are fleet drivers who’re nonetheless working in what would in any other case be their retirement years. Amongst individuals age 75 years and older, the labor drive is anticipated to develop by 96.5% over the following decade.
Fee of Deadly Crashes Involving Older Adults Rises
Because the share of older drivers has elevated, so too has the share of deadly automobile crashes involving older drivers. ValuePenguin defines that as these ages 65 and older. In 2013, 22.8% of deadly crashes concerned an older driver, however that determine was as much as 24.4% as of 2022.
The research’s authors famous that whereas the rise is not utterly linear, it does observe an upward development. In whole, there have been 123,072 deadly automobile crashes involving an older driver between 2013 and 2022 — with 14,647 in 2022 alone.
Nonetheless, not all drivers 70 and older are unsafe, ValuePenguin Auto Insurance coverage Skilled Divya Sangameshwar confused. “And there’s no set age when somebody ought to cease driving.”
What May Contribute to an Improve in Deadly Crashes?
In a 2021 article, the Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security pointed to latest research displaying that older drivers usually tend to drive outdated autos that lack new and rising security applied sciences.
Research have revealed that as driver age elevated, autos have been much less more likely to be outfitted with digital stability management (ESC) and head-protecting facet airbags as customary options.
Automobiles with out ESC have been related to 37% greater odds of driver fatality for drivers 70 and over, whereas autos with out customary head-protecting facet airbags have been related to double the percentages of an older driver fatality.
Sedans and hatchbacks have additionally been confirmed to be extra frequent amongst older drivers, with the proportion of individuals driving midsize passenger automobiles growing and the numbers driving SUVs declining with age.
Together with car design and security options, car measurement and weight are necessary elements in crash survival. That is as a result of the occupants of smaller autos are uncovered to higher forces in collisions with bigger ones.
Drivers ages 75 and older are additionally considerably much less more likely to drive autos with good rankings within the IIHS reasonable overlap entrance and unique facet crash exams.
A survey revealed one cause older drivers use these autos is as a result of they do not perceive the worth of superior security options or good security rankings.
The place are America’s Oldest Drivers?
Whereas the share of drivers ages 70 and older is up throughout the nation, some states are dwelling to extra older drivers than others. West Virginia tops the listing, with 20.1% of its licensed drivers having already celebrated their seventieth birthday.
New Hampshire and its neighbor Vermont take second and third, with 19.1% and 18.9% of their drivers falling into this age class, respectively.
In accordance with Census knowledge, all three states have proportionally greater populations of adults 65 and older. Nationwide, that demographic makes up 17.3% of the inhabitants; in all three states, the share is north of 20%.
ValuePenguin famous that every one three states are additionally pretty sparsely populated, making driving extra obligatory.
These three states additionally suffered higher-than-average charges of deadly crashes involving drivers 65 and older. Over the last decade studied, 23.6% of lethal crashes within the U.S. concerned an older driver. In New Hampshire, that determine rose to 29.9%, adopted by Vermont at 29.6% and West Virginia at 28.3%.
The states with the bottom charge of drivers ages 70 and above are the District of Columbia, with solely 9.6% having turned 70. Utah follows at 10.8%, and Alaska is behind it at 11.5%.
