Maryland Statistics

In 2006, older drivers (defined as age 65 years or older) were involved in 15.5% of the total fatalities in Maryland. There were a total of 10,346 older driver-involved crashes, accounting for 10% of the total crashes in Maryland. Just over 55% were property damage only crashes and 7,116 persons were injured.

• In 2006, there were 10,346 older driver-involved crashes, accounting for 10% of the total crashes in Maryland.
• Over 61% of the total older driver-involved crashes occurred between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Over 50% of the fatal crashes occurred on state highways.
• Alcohol and/or drug impairment was involved in nearly 19% of fatal older driver-involved crashes.
• Over two-thirds of the older drivers killed were male.
• Older driver-involved crashes occurred most frequently in Baltimore County, Montgomery County and Baltimore City, 17.8%, 14.5% and 13.0% respectively.

Source: Maryland Highway Safety Office

National Statistics

In 2007, 13 percent of the total U.S. resident population (38 million) were people age 65 and older. There were 30 million older licensed drivers in 2006 — an 18-percent increase from 1996. In contrast, the total number of licensed drivers increased by only 13 percent from 1996 to 2006. Older drivers made up 15 percent of all licensed drivers in 2006, compared with 14 percent in 1996.

In 2007, 196,000 older individuals were injured in traffic crashes, accounting for 8 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year. These older individuals made up 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, 14 percent of all vehicle occupant fatalities, and 19 percent of all pedestrian fatalities.

Most traffic fatalities involving older drivers in 2007 occurred during the daytime (79%), occurred on weekdays (72%), and involved other vehicles 71%.

For older people, 60 percent of pedestrian fatalities in 2007 occurred at non-intersection locations. For other pedestrians, 81 percent of fatalities occurred at non-intersection locations. In two-vehicle fatal crashes involving an older driver and a younger driver, the vehicle driven by the older person was nearly twice as likely to be the one that was struck (59% and 33%, respectively). In 46 percent of these crashes, both vehicles were proceeding straight at the time of the collision. In 25 percent, the older driver was turning left — 5 times more often than the younger driver.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration