And as this happens, the number of fatalities from automobile crashes involving older drivers is forecast to increase, from the current 7000 per year to about 23,500. This projection developed by Ecosometrics, Inc., gives reason for concern. The myth seems to have arisen in part at least from the common technique of counting fatalities as a function of miles driven by age. When older driver crash statistics are viewed in relation to the number of crashes per 100,000 licensed drivers, the numbers actually show that as a group they have a lower crash rate.
Older drivers have fewer crashes as a group than younger drivers do.
The main reason that older drivers are safer is that they drive less. Older drivers self-select not only in terms of whether to drive, but also where, when and how to drive. They tend to limit their driving to daytime hours and avoid roads that they feel are unsafe. They are also more experienced drivers, and as a group may take fewer risks than younger drivers. Research has shown that most older drivers continue to drive with functional limitations, such as slowed reaction times or failing vision.