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United States Value:
Number of deaths due to motor vehicle traffic crashes on a public roadway per 100,000 adults age 65 and older
Number of deaths due to motor vehicle traffic crashes on a public roadway per 100,000 adults age 65 and older
<= 10.6
10.7 - 13.1
13.2 - 15.4
15.5 - 18.4
>= 18.5
US Value: 13.8
Top State(s): Rhode Island: 3.9
Bottom State(s): Oklahoma: 24.5
Definition: Number of deaths due to motor vehicle traffic crashes on a public roadway per 100,000 adults age 65 and older
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2025.
Despite being largely preventable, motor vehicle accidents remain a leading cause of unintentional death in the United States. In 2022, over 7,900 adults age 65 and older were killed in traffic crashes in the U.S., accounting for 19% of all traffic fatalities. This was a 6% increase from 2021, making 2022 the year with the highest number of traffic fatalities among older adults in measured history.
While driving can help older adults remain mobile and independent, the risk of injury or death from a traffic accident increases with age. Since 2004, the number of licensed drivers age 65 and older in the U.S. has increased by 77%, totaling 52 million in 2022. Common age-related problems that can affect older adults’ driving abilities include changes in vision, cognition and motor ability. Several medical conditions that can interfere with clear thinking and consciousness or make driving more painful and difficult also become more common with age, such as dementia, arthritis, stroke and cataracts.
In 2022, deaths from traffic crashes cost the U.S. more than $470 billion in medical expenses and estimated cost of lives lost.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the prevalence of motor vehicle deaths is higher among:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified strategies for staying safe on the road, including:
Driver refresher courses are available for older adults who wish to maintain or improve their driving skills, such as AAA’s RoadWise Driver. AAA also provides a self-assessment tool and further resources on evaluating driving ability, which can help older drivers decide whether it is safe to continue driving.
Hill, Linda. “The Older Driver.” In Merck Manual Consumer Version. Merck Manual, July 2024. https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/older-people-s-health-issues/the-older-driver/the-older-driver.
National Center for Statistics and Analysis. “Older Population: 2022 Data.” Traffic Safety Facts. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, August 2024. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813616.
Pomidor, Alice, ed. Clinician’s Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers. 4th ed. New York: The American Geriatrics Society, 2019. https://www.safemobilityfl.com/pdfs/CliniciansGuide/CliniciansGuideOlderDriversComplete4thEdition.pdf.
Yellman, Merissa A., and Erin K. Sauber-Schatz. “Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths — United States and 28 Other High-Income Countries, 2015 and 2019.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 71, no. 26 (July 1, 2022): 837–43. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7126a1.
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