Who would you think would be the better driver? The experience slow paced senior or the fast paced cell phone gabbing teenager? I think you’ll find the results a little astonishing. Most people young or old think they are great drivers. I am confident enough to say I am not the best but I wonder if I’ll be better when I’m older or if I was better in my teen years. Check out this article from the USA Today and when you’re purchasing a new or used car for your parents or your teenager remember this blog. It may help define what car is best for them.
Picture this: You’re out on the road, driving in mixed traffic with your choice of drivers to follow. One is a gray-haired senior puttering along in the right lane and the other is a fresh-faced teenager moving briskly in the left lane.
Statistically speaking, which driver is safer to follow? Kirk Seaman of AOL Autos’ blog asks whether it’s older driver with the slower reflexes, poorer vision and cautious driving style, or the younger driver with faster reactions, better eyesight and driving with the flow of traffic?
Seaman’s answer: Stay in the right lane, behind the oldster, and let the teenager go on his way. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the safest drivers are in the age group between 64 and 69 years old. And studies of the data reveal that teenage drivers — especially male teenage drivers — are the most dangerous drivers on the road.
Here’s Seaman’s report on why:
“In every motorized country around the world, teenage drivers are disproportionately involved in crashes,” said Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Institute. “The seriousness of this problem has been recognized for decades. Only in the last few years have public policies such as graduated driving licenses been enacted to address the situation. And those laws seem to be working, but fatalities are still high.”
In 2008, 5,864 15- to 20-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes. That’s the bad news. The good news is that number is down by 27% since 1998. Driver fatalities for this age group also decreased by 20% in the same time period.
However, motor vehicle crashes still remain the major cause of death for teenagers. In 2008, 2,739 15- to 20-year-old drivers were killed and an additional 228,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes. Sixty percent of deaths among passenger vehicle occupants ages 16-19 were drivers.
Senior drivers, like teenage drivers, have higher crash rates per mile driven, especially when it comes to fatal crashes. But seniors don’t drive as many miles, so a better measurement of their susceptibility to accidents can be had by comparing crash rates on a per capita basis. Looking at the numbers in this way shows senior drivers have much lower crash rates. Despite their increased risk of crashing per mile driven, relatively few elderly drivers are involved in accidents because of their lower rates of exposure. In addition, the rate of fatalities per capita among seniors has decreased 40% since 1975 and is now at its lowest level during this period.
Let’s look at the numbers. In 2008, 15- to 20-year-old drivers made up 8.5% of the U.S. population, yet accounted for 12% of occupant deaths among all ages in passenger vehicle (cars, pickups, SUVs, and vans). Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash. Drivers from 65 to 69 years old made up 3.7% of the population, but accounted for just 3.2% of all fatal crashes.
Major risk factors contributing to teenage crashes are those you would expect, including:
- Lack of experience. Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.
- Poor judgment. Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next).
- Low seat belt usage. Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. In 2007, 61% of all 15- to 20-year-old passenger vehicle occupants killed in fatal crashes were not wearing seat belts.
“Almost all states have adopted some form of graduated driver licensing,” said McCartt. “These laws are proving effective in reducing teenage crashes.”
Graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems are designed to delay full licensing while allowing teens to get their initial driving experience under low-risk conditions. Research suggests that the most comprehensive of these programs are associated with reductions of 38% and 40% in fatal and injury crashes, respectively, among 16-year-old drivers.
“When parents know their state’s GDL laws, they can help enforce the laws and, in effect, help keep their teen drivers safe,” said McCartt.
What do you guys think? Do you think the senior is better or the teenager? I’d like to hear your opinions!
Superior Car Talk Twitter Feed
In most cases the more experienced person will be better at most tasks including driving. However, this is a bad week to ask that question. Monday a friend was waiting to march in our Memorial Day parade and a driver mistook the gas for the brake and plowed into my friend. He survived but has a couple broken bones and months of therapy ahead of him. The driver was a fellow vet 84 years old. My friend who was hit is a young 83 year old. I say a young 83 because he is very active. He jogs, rides his bike, lifts weights and golfs regularly. Hopefully his fitness will help him recover more quickly.
That is such a shame to hear but I sure hope he recovers quickly. He sounds like my grandfather. He’s 85 and still an active whipper snapper.