Driver
Age and Gender As Factors in Auto Accidents
According
to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA),
in the year 2000, people age 70 years or older made up 9% of
the total population in this country, but accounted for 13%
of all traffic fatalities.
There are more than 25 million people in this country over
the age of 70. From 1990 to 2000, this older segment of the
population grew twice as fast as the total population. According
to NHTSA, in 2000, 181,000 people of this age group were injured
in traffic crashes, accounting for 6% of all people injured
in traffic crashes that year. 17% of all pedestrian fatalities
were made up of people in this age category.
According to NHTSA, in two vehicle fatal crashes involving
an older driver and a younger driver, the vehicle being driven
by the older person was more than 3 times as likely to be
hit (57% as opposed to 18%). In 44% of these crashes, both
vehicles were proceeding straight at the time of the collision.
In 27% the older driver was turning left. This is more than
6 times as often as in younger drivers.
In 2000, 16-24 year olds represented 24% of all traffic fatalities
according to NHTSA data. On a per population basis, young
drivers under the age of 25 had the highest rate of involvement
in fatal crashes than any other age group. Compared with fatality
rates for drivers 25 through 69 years old, the rate for teenage
drivers is about 4 times as high.
Moreover, the intoxication rate for 16-20 year old drivers
involved in fatal crashes in 2000 was 15% according to NHTSA.
The highest intoxication rates were for drivers 21 to 24 years
old (27%) and 25-34 years old (24%).
In 2000, NHTSA reported that the fatal crash rate per 100,000
persons was almost 3 times as high for male drivers than as
for female drivers. Males accounted for 68% of all traffic
fatalities, 68% of all pedestrian fatalities and 89% of all
pedalcyclist fatalities in 2000. Young female drivers, under
age 50 have a lower fatality rate than their male counterparts
on a per mile driven basis. However, the fatality rate for
males and females over the age of 50 is essentially the same.
NHTSA reports that in 2000, among female drivers of passenger
vehicles involved in fatal crashes, 29% were unrestrained
with seatbelts at the time of the collision compared with
43% of male drives found to be unrestrained in fatal crashes.
People in passenger vehicles between the ages of 10 and 24
years, involved in fatal crashes, had the lowest rate of restraint
(seatbelt) use 49% while those over age 65 had the highest
rate of restraint use at 69%.
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