Growing Ranks of Older Drivers Among Safest on Florida Roads

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By Angel Streeter

Older adults are rolling. They are the fastest-growing segment of drivers nationwide.

They will drive more miles than previous generations and long into old age.

That may make some people skittish as they envision grandmotherly types inching along the highway with their heads barely above the steering wheel.

But no need to worry: Older adults are among the safest drivers on the roads, according to state and national statistics.

State crash statistics shows that older adults have fewer crashes than young people, who have the highest crash rates, but also fewer than drivers in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

In 2009, the crash rate for 65-year-old Florida drivers was 106.75 per 10,000 licensed drivers. At 75, it was 98.27 and at 85, it was 88.85.

Compare that to 20-year-old drivers at 348.58 crashes per 10,000 licensed drivers. At 40, it was 205.7. At 50, it was 172.86.

That trend bears out nationally as well.
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