Study Shows a Rise in Elderly Drivers and Fatal Crashes

Elderly drivers now account for one-in-four fatal crashes in the U.S., a new study shows.

Licensed drivers over age of 70 have risen in the previous decade, according to a report from ValuePenguin, a finance website specializing in research and data.

The study used U.S. Department of Transportation data on elderly drivers over age of 70 from 2013 to 2022. It shows there were 34 million licensed drivers over 70 in 2022, which represented 14.5% of the driving population. The 23.6 million drivers in that age bracket at the beginning of the study represented 11.1% of drivers.

The report also draws on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration illustrating that fatal crashes in that demographic also increased 23.6% in the period, representing 123,072 fatal crashes.

West Virginia had the highest percentage of drivers 70 and older (20.1%), followed by New Hampshire (19.1%) and Vermont (18.9%). The District of Columbia (9.6%), Utah (10.8%) and Alaska (11.5%) had the smallest share of drivers in this age group.

The trends essentially fall in line with Census data. Nationwide, 17.3% of people are age 65 and older. The demographic grew 38.6% between 2010 and 2020, according to the Census.

The study advises older drivers and their families to be on the lookout for issues that could impact driving such as vision, reaction time, cognition and grip strength.