Mobility is one of the activities of daily living which enhances a person's quality of life. The growth in the aging of the overall population translates to a simultaneous increase in the number of older drivers. Demographic trends show that the proportion of older drivers will continue to multiply. Approximately 33 million drivers age 55 and over constituted 22 percent of all drivers in 1987. Today, older drivers represent 28 percent of the driving population and will grow to 39 percent by the year 2000.
Surveys reveal that driving is how they prefer to maintain mobility.
There is consensus among traffic safety authorities that older drivers should be kept on the roadways as long as they can drive safely. No one seriously concerned with traffic safety wants to use chronological age as the sole indicator of driving ability. While many drivers age 55 and over have commendable driving records, as a group, when exposure is considered, they are disproportionately involved in traffic accidents and fatalities. On the basis of miles driven, older drivers are involved in fatal crashes more frequently than any other age group except teenaged drivers. Various age-related visual, auditory, and psychomotor changes have an adverse effect on driving ability.