Citation

Stutts JC, Waller PF, Martell C. Proc. Assoc. Adv. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1989; 33: 137-152.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

North Carolina motor vehicle crash data for the years 1974, 1978, 1982, and 1986 are analyzed in conjunction with N.C. population, licensed driver and mileage data to examine trends in motor vehicle crash involvement by driver age, sex and race. Crash rates per licensed driver are presented along with crash rates per estimated vehicle miles travelled calculated on the basis of induced exposure. Results focus particularly on older drivers. They show that older drivers' representation in the driver license population has increased at a greater rate than their representation in either the census or crash involvement populations. These trends are particularly strong for females and for nonwhites. Furthermore, crash rates have declined more for drivers age 55 and older than for younger drivers. The greatest declines, both in terms of crashes per licensed driver and crashes per miles travelled, have been experienced by drivers age 65 and older, particularly nonwhites. Males show higher overall crash rates per miles travelled than females, but this effect decreases with age and disappears entirely in the oldest age categories. Results are discussed in light of the changing nature of the overall driving population and the cohort of older drivers in particular.