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Projecting Fatalities in Crashes Involving Older Drivers, 2000-2025

Projecting Fatalities in Crashes Involving Older Drivers, 2000-2025

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Number of Licenses (thousands)<br />

100<br />

80<br />

60<br />

40<br />

20<br />

0<br />

Licensed <strong>Drivers</strong> by Gender and Age Group<br />

1963<br />

1965<br />

1967<br />

1969<br />

1971<br />

1973<br />

1975<br />

1977<br />

1979<br />

Year<br />

1981<br />

1983<br />

1985<br />

1987<br />

1989<br />

1991<br />

1993<br />

1995<br />

Total males<br />

Total females<br />

Males, 65-69<br />

Females, 65-69<br />

Males 70+<br />

Females, 70+<br />

Source: Highway Statistics Summary<br />

to 1995, Table DL-220<br />

Figure 3.5. Licensed <strong>Drivers</strong> by Gender and Age Group, 1963-1995.<br />

When Fields and Valt<strong>in</strong>son contacted the Departments of Motor Vehicles <strong>in</strong> all 50<br />

states to ascerta<strong>in</strong> state policies for licens<strong>in</strong>g the elder driver, they found that there was no<br />

uniformity across the states. Some states require renewal <strong>in</strong> person after a certa<strong>in</strong> age, as<br />

well as a vision test and a road test. Other states require no tests of ability and have<br />

lengthened the time <strong>in</strong>tervals between renewals. In some states, doctors are required to<br />

report unsafe drivers to the state; other states require the physician to get the patient’s<br />

written permission before report<strong>in</strong>g a physical impairment (Fields and Valt<strong>in</strong>son, 1998).<br />

Some <strong>in</strong>dividuals, particularly among the elderly, obta<strong>in</strong> drivers licenses even<br />

though they may not <strong>in</strong>tend to drive a vehicle. Reasons for obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g a license <strong>in</strong>clude<br />

identification, “status,” or just <strong>in</strong> case it might be needed. In addition, states may not purge<br />

their data sets to account for licensees mov<strong>in</strong>g out of state or dy<strong>in</strong>g. Therefore, the<br />

number of drivers licenses issued is not a valid measure of the actual number of drivers.<br />

Eberhard (1996) compared numbers of drivers licenses issued, accord<strong>in</strong>g to Federal<br />

Highway Adm<strong>in</strong>istration (FHWA) historical data for 1993, with survey data from the 1993<br />

GM Project G.6 3 - 18 October <strong>2000</strong>

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