Older Adult Drivers | Older Adult Drivers

Table of Contents

Overview

Man escorts older adult woman from car — Take steps to stay safe on roads

In 2022, there were almost 52 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States. This is a 77% increase since 2004.1

Driving helps older adults stay mobile and independent. But the risk of being injured or killed in a traffic crash increases as people age.

Thankfully, older adults can take steps to stay safer on the roads.

Facts

Thousands of older adults are injured or killed in the United States every year in traffic crashes.

In 2022, about 9,100 older adults were killed in traffic crashes, and over 270,000 were treated in emergency departments for crash injuries.2 This means that each day, 25 older adults are killed and over 740 are injured in crashes.

Risk factors

Age, sex, and age-related changes are major risk factors

Drivers aged 70+ have higher crash death rates per 1,000 crashes than middle-aged drivers (aged 35-54).3 Higher crash death rates among this age group are primarily due to increased vulnerability to injury in a crash.
Across all age groups, males have substantially higher crash death rates than females.4
Age-related changes in vision, physical functioning, and the ability to reason and remember, as well as diseases and medications, might affect some older adults’ driving abilities.5

Prevention

Key steps to staying safe on the roads

The good news is that older adults are more likely to have safer driving behaviors than other age groups.

Taking these key steps can help adults of all ages, including older adults, stay safe on the road:

Always wear a seat belt as a driver or passenger

Seat belt use is one of the most effective ways to save lives and reduce injuries in crashes.6

Drive when conditions are safest

Drive during daylight and in good weather. Conditions such as poor weather7 and driving at night8 increase the likelihood of crash injuries and deaths.

Don’t drink and drive

Drinking and driving increases the risk of being in a crash because alcohol reduces coordination and impairs judgment.

Additional steps to stay safe on the road

Use CDC’s MyMobility Plan, a plan to stay mobile and independent as you age.
Follow a regular activity program to increase strength and flexibility.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review medicines—both prescription and over-the counter—to reduce side effects and interactions. Read the Medications Can Be Linked to Injuries as We Age
Have your eyes checked by an eye doctor at least once a year. Wear glasses and corrective lenses as required.
Plan your route before you drive.
Find the safest route with well-lit streets, intersections with left-turn signals, and easy parking.
Leave a large distance between your car and the car in front of you.
Avoid distractions in your car, such as listening to a loud radio, talking or texting on your phone, and eating.
Consider potential alternatives to driving, such as riding with a friend, using ride share services, or taking public transit.

Resources

CDC resources

Additional resources

Publications with more information

Ortmann N, Haddad YK, Beck L. Special Report from the CDC: Provider knowledge and practices around driving safety and fall prevention screening and recommendations for their older adult patients, DocStyles 2019
Shakya I, Beck LF, Cordier L, Dugan S, Underwood Y, Bergen G. Special Report from the CDC: Evaluating the dissemination of CDC’s MyMobility Plan: Findings and lessons learned
Beck LF, Luo F, West BA. Examining patterns of driving avoidance behaviors among older people using latent class analysis
Siegfried AL, Bayne A, Beck LF, Freund K. Older adult willingness to use fully autonomous vehicle (FAV) ride sharing
Bayne A, Siegfried A, Beck LF, Freund K. Barriers and facilitators of older adults’ use of ride share services
Freund K, Bayne A, Beck, L, Siegfried A, Warren J, Nadel T, Natarajan A. Special report from the CDC: Characteristics of ride share services for older adults in the United States
Freund K, Bayne A, Siegfried A, Warren J, Nadel T, Natarajan A, Beck, L. 2019. Environmental scan of ride share services available for older adults [White paper]
Bergen G, West BA, Luo F, Bird DC, Freund K, Fortinsky RH, Staplin L. Special report from the CDC: How do older adult drivers self-regulate? Characteristics of self-regulation classes defined by latent class analysis.
Bird DC, Freund K, Fortinsky RH, Staplin L, West BA, Bergen G, Downs J. Driving self-regulation and ride service utilization in a multicommunity, multistate sample of U.S. older adults.