As the proportion of Americans 65 years of age and older continues to increase, motor vehicle accidents involving older drivers and pedestrians are becoming a significant traffic safety concern.
Intersections appear to be particularly hazardous to both elderly drivers and pedestrians.
State Data Bases Used The authors used HSIS data from 1985 to 1987 in Minnesota and Illinois for this research. This ensured that both age groups were using the same intersections. In general, the findings of these two analyses were quite similar. For turning collisions at urban and rural signalized intersections, middle-aged drivers tended to have been going straight, while older drivers were more likely to have been turning left, and were slightly more likely to be turning right and turning right on red. In turning collisions, they were more likely to be turning left or right across traffic.