Fatal accidents of older drivers

Fatal accidents of drivers aged 65 or more in Finland in 1984-1989 were compared with those of the statistically safest age group of 26-40 with special emphasis on self-caused accidents. The basic material consisted of 769 multidisciplinary investigated traffic accidents. Older drivers had an overall responsibility ratio [(single + guilty)/total] of .89 versus .61 for the comparison group; in collisions between vehicles this ratio was .87 versus .50. The number of accidents per driver's license increased with age in old drivers. Accidents caused by older drivers were different from those of the comparison group. Old drivers typically collided in an intersection with a crossing vehicle, which they did not notice at all, or saw so late that they did not have enough time to try an avoiding maneuver. Accident characteristics and their implications for safety research and countermeasures are discussed.