People want to remain mobile — and feel safe on the roads — even when they reach an advanced age. The aging of society, which is an increasing trend, will have a considerable influence on mobility and accident statistics. The consequences of road traffic accidents involving senior citizens are already alarming. Since 1996, the number of senior citizens involved in road traffic accidents has been rising disproportionately compared to other road users. Almost a quarter of all road users who are killed, over half of the pedestrians who are killed and half of the cyclists killed are senior citizens. This brochure summarizes the key results of a study of the UDV (German Insurers Accident Research). It reveals the problems with which older people are confronted on the roads, compares their subjective assessments of their safety with the reality reflected in the accident statistics and describes measures designed to allow age-appropriate mobility that meets their requirements. In addition, it forecasts that senior citizens will feature increasingly in the accident statistics of the next 20 to 40 years. (Author/publisher)
Abstract