The Mature Driver, Physical Changes, Safer Driving

In many ways older drivers, due to their years of driving experience and more mature judgment, are better drivers. Knowing how to avoid dangerous situations and being more cautious and deliberate are almost second nature to older drivers.

Throughout life, however, visual and cognitive performance continually recedes. A 30-year-old probably doesn't hear as well as an eleven-year-old. After age fourteen visual acuity begins to wane, and by the time a driver reaches age 55 he or she is used to experiencing physical changes. But, there is convincing evidence that after age 55 the changes may happen faster and drivers may need to pay more attention to the skills needed to drive safely.

After age 75, careful driving is even more crucial. But, age alone doesn't define driving ability, and there is a wide degree of difference in driving performance among older people of the same age.

It is important to be aware of one very significant fact: older persons are more vulnerable to injury than younger people. People 65 and older are more than three times as likely as 20-year-olds to die from serious injuries of equal severity.

What can older drivers do to be safer while driving?

• Use your safety belt!
  
• Maintain good health habits. Exercise, proper nutrition and regular medical check-ups keep minds and bodies in top condition for driving.
  
• Stay alert. You must be in control at all times because driving requires quick decisions. Resist being complacent just because driving has become a routine for 30 or 40 years.
  
• Try to avoid roads where traffic is heavy.
  
• Exercise caution at night. Eighty-five percent of the information we need to drive safely comes through our eyes. As we age, our eyes become more sensitive to glare, requiring twice as much light as we needed to see when we were young. Be especially careful when driving at dawn and dusk.
  
• Take part in mature driving training programs such as AARP's "55 Alive Defensive
• Driving Course" and workshops offered by communities and schools.
  
• Don't mix alcohol or medications and driving.
  
• Select a car with an instrument panel that's easy to use and read.
  
• Learn how to benefit from vehicle features that can make driving safer for you, such as properly designed seats, air bags and anti-lock brakes.

Mature Driver Discounts

Drivers age 55 or over may be eligible for a discount if they complete a driving course. In California, those who successfully complete a Mature Driver Improvement Course during the past three years may be eligible for a discount of up to 1.8 percent* on all lines of coverage carried on the vehicle(s) they primarily operate. To obtain the discount, drivers must furnish us with a completion certificate from an approved course provider. The Automobile Club of Southern California offers a Mature Driver Course as one of its many member services.

Depending on the course completion date, the discount may apply for up to three consecutive policy periods. Any traffic conviction or principally-at-fault accident occurring after the course completion date disqualifies a driver from receiving this discount and will cause an existing Mature Driver Discount to be eliminated at the next policy renewal.

US Elderly Driver Statistics

• 7,269 people (65 years and older) died in motor vehicle crashes in 1998 (compared to 7,236 in 1997, 36% more than in 1975). 81% of elderly fatalities were passenger vehicle occupants; 16% were pedestrians.
• About half of the fatal crashes involving drivers 80 years and older occur at intersections and involve multiple vehicles, compared with 23% among drivers up to age 50.
• Per mile driven, drivers 75 years and older have higher fatal crash rates than drivers in other age group except teens.
• Per licensed driver, fatal crash rates rise sharply at age 70 and older.
• Those 80 years and older have the highest pedestrian death rates per 100,000 people.
  
• People 65 years and older represented about 13% of the population and about 18% of all motor vehicle deaths in 1998. By 2030, the elderly are expected to represent 20% of the population.
  

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