This traffic safety fact sheet contains statistics on the older USA population for 2001 including previous years. There are more than 25 million people aged 70 years and older in the USA. In 2000, this age group made up 9.1% of the total USA resident population, compared with 8.5% in 1990. From 1990 to 2000, this older segment of the population grew nearly twice as fast as the total population (2001 population data by age group not available). There were 18.9 million older licensed drivers in 2000 (2001 data not available), a 36% increase from the number in 1990. In contrast, the total number of licensed drivers increased by only 14% from 1990 to 2000. Older drivers made up 10% of all licensed drivers in 2000, compared with 8% in 1990. In 2001, 159,000 older individuals were injured in traffic crashes, accounting for 5% of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year. These older individuals made up 13% of all traffic fatalities, 12% of all vehicle occupant fatalities, and 18% of all pedestrian fatalities. Most traffic fatalities involving older drivers in 2001 occurred during the daytime (82%), on weekdays (71%), and involved another vehicle (73%).
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