This report considers seniors as those aged 65 years and over. Health conditions that reduce mobility and increase crash risk can occur at any age, but do so more frequently from 50 years on. The highest risk is observed for road users over 75 years of age.
Seniors are most at risk in traffic as vulnerable road users (VRU). They form a high proportion of casualties as well as being at significantly greater risk per kilometre travelled. As drivers, seniors are a greater risk to themselves than to other road users.
This greater risk is due to three factors: Vulnerability: crashes are more likely to have serious consequences. This is the most important reason for the overrepresentation of seniors in crash statistics. Reduced driving: Drivers with a low mileage have a higher risk per kilometre (regardless of age) because of the higher proportion of kilometres driven in urban areas and a lack of routine; and Fitness to drive: on average seniors have a greater crash risk because of age-related cognitive and physical limitations and health conditions that increase the crash risk.
Crashes involving seniors typically occur at complex traffic situations. Senior drivers and riders are particularly involved in crashes while turning left (turning right in case of left-hand traffic) and senior pedestrians while crossing at unsignalized locations.
With respect to infrastructure, seniors particularly benefit from a clear and predictable lay-out of intersections with ample time to react, as do other road users.
The fitness of older drivers should be monitored in a staged system of screening (self-test, advice from the primary care physician; reference to a specialist for a more thorough examination). A general age-based screening of all drivers is not deemed advisable.
Training may counter age-related problems in traffic and support seniors’ compensation strategies. However, there is mixed evidence on the effectiveness of such training.
Passive safety measures such as smart seatbelts and bicycle helmets are important for seniors to compensate for their physical vulnerability. Advanced Driver Assistant Systems (ADAS) can help to compensate for some age-related problems. In particular, forward collision warning/mitigation, navigation systems, and parking assistants have been favourably evaluated.
