Projecting Fatalities in Crashes Involving Older Drivers, 2000-2025

Age
group
Table 3.2. Projected Ratios of Men to Women, Total United States,
Compared with the 1995 Ratios
Gender
ratio, a
Gender Gender Gender Gender Gender Gender
ratio, ratio, ratio, ratio, ratio, ratio,
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025
All ages 95.4 95.5 95.6 95.7 95.8 95.9 96
All elderly 69.0 70.4 72.4 75.0 78.1 80.8 82.9
Ages 65-74 80.1 82.2 84.4 86.3 87.8 89.1 90.5
Ages 75-84 63.5 66.9 69.9 73.3 77.0 80.2 83.0
Ages 85+ 38.9 40.5 43.0 45.4 47.5 49.6 52.4
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov/population/www/projections/stproj.htmland
www.census.gov/population/www/projections/natproj.html .
aGender ratio is defined as the number of males per 100 females.
3.1.3 By Economic Status
Personal income/economic status is an extremely important factor for the elderly.
For example, medical expenses are generally greater for the elderly than they are for the
average person under age 65. In addition, a fixed income may not keep up with the
general rate of inflation. A major source of income for the elderly is Social Security, as
reported by 91% of older persons (Administration on Aging, 1999). Many older persons
continue employment, about half of which is part-time work. In the transportation
equation, elderly persons find that the costs of owning an automobile may be too high or
that they must limit the number of trips they take to save on the costs of transportation.
The U.S. Census Bureau provides historical data on average annual incomes, for
different age groups. The median income for all households in the United States in 1995,
for all ages, was $34,076, and for the same time period, the median income for the elderly
(i.e., 65 and over) was $19,096. Table 3.3 presents historical data on income levels of the
elderly in comparison with the income level of “all households.”
GM Project G.6 3 - 4 October 2000