Car Accidents and the Elderly

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An article in Sunday's Seattle times examines the need for new driver's license renewal requirements as America's elderly population increases. The article singles out DC as one of three states requiring road tests for DL renewal after a certain age.

The number of crashes per miles traveled starts out high in the teenage years before falling and staying fairly level from ages 30 to 65, according to the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. At 75, there's a significant increase, and from there to 85, the accident rate triples to about 15 fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled.

People 65 and older make up about 15 percent of the driving population. Although they spend less time on the road, they are involved in about 15 percent of fatal crashes, said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Get more information about the elderly and car accidents.