80+ year old belted driver fatalities in 2017-2023 CISS

Area of Science:

• Traffic Safety Research
• Geriatric Driving Safety
• Crash Investigation Analysis

Background:

• Older drivers (80+ years old) represent a growing demographic on roadways.
• Understanding the specific crash dynamics and injury patterns for this age group is crucial for developing targeted safety interventions.
• Lap-shoulder belt use is standard, but its effectiveness in preventing fatalities among very elderly drivers requires specific analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze fatal crashes involving drivers aged 80 and older who were confirmed to be using lap-shoulder seatbelts.
• To evaluate the types of crashes, circumstances, and resulting injuries in this specific demographic.
• To identify contributing factors and injury sources in fatal crashes involving elderly drivers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) 2017-2023 Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS) database.
• Selected cases involving fatalities of drivers aged 80 and older confirmed to be using lap-shoulder seatbelts.
• Analyzed data on driving maneuvers, crash types, impact severity, driver demographics, alcohol/drug use, vehicle age, crash causation, and injury sources, including review of vehicle damage and intrusion.

Main Results:

• Thirty-one cases of 80+ year old belted driver fatalities were analyzed.
• The elderly drivers caused 71% of the crashes, primarily through intersection incidents (crossing/turning into traffic, driving into other vehicles) and lane departures (drifting out of lane, speeding/loss of control).
• Common injuries included severe chest trauma (80.8%), head (30.8%), and spine (26.9%) injuries, with a median time to death of 2.65 hours. Seatbelts and steering systems were frequent injury sources.

Conclusions:

• Fatal crashes involving 80+ year old drivers often stem from perception, vision, and judgment errors, particularly at intersections and during lane changes.
• These crashes typically involve frontal or side impacts leading to significant chest injuries, with a high proportion of fatalities occurring within 24 hours.
• Recommendations include increased vigilance, maintaining lane control, and enhanced situational awareness, especially when navigating intersections.