Motor Vehicle Deaths - Age 65+ in United States

United States

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:

• Women age 65 and older compared with men of the same age. 
• Adults age 85 or older compared with adults ages 65-74. Adults ages 75-84 also have a high prevalence.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified strategies for staying safe on the road, including:

• Always wearing a seat belt as a driver or passenger. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration runs the Click It or Ticket campaign to raise awareness that seat belts save lives.
• Driving when weather and daylight conditions are safest, as poor driving conditions can increase the likelihood of crashes. 
• Not drinking and driving, as alcohol often reduces coordination and impairs judgment. 
• Reviewing medications to avoid negative side effects or drug interactions that could impair driving. 
• Preparing a customizable MyMobility Plan to stay mobile and independent — for example, by finding transportation options in one’s community and learning how to use them. 

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.

Healthy People 2030 has an objective to reduce the proportion of deaths of car passengers who weren’t buckled in and to reduce motor vehicle deaths overall.

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.