More Seniors Driving Than Past Generations

A new report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says that older Americans are driving more than seniors in previous generations.

Released last month the report – Understanding Older Drivers: An Examination of Medical Conditions, Medication Use and Travel Behaviors – says that 84 percent of Americans 65 and older were licensed to drive in 2010, compared to barely half in the early 1970s. The study also finds that one in six drivers on American roadways is 65 and older.

It also shows that 90 percent of older drivers use prescription medications. Previous research has shown that combinations of medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, can result in impairment while driving.

AAA Foundation and AAA have developed educational tools to help seniors understand how prescriptions affect safe driving.