The Highway Safety Insurance Institute (IIHS) is warning older drivers that their trusty “retired” cars can end up being so unreliable, especially when it comes to protecting them in car crashes, they are therefore less likely to appear unscathed than younger cars.
“Healthier than ever, Americans in their 70s and 80s are driving more miles and fewer crashes than in previous decades,” the IIHS said in a statement. report. “However, age-related frailty still makes older drivers less likely to survive a crash than others. Drivers aged 75 and older are at increased risk of death. about 4 times more likely than middle-aged drivers when they are involved in a side crash and about 3 times more likely a previous IIHS study found a much higher chance of dying in a frontal crash time. “
It’s not just about the driver’s mileage; age is a contributor to both sides of the equation. Drivers age 71 and older are more likely to drive at least 16 years of age than drivers aged 35-54, and those vehicles are less likely to earn a good rating in the IIHS moderately overlapping front and the root side. crash test, IIHS said. What’s worse, infrequent drivers (those who drive less than 3,000 miles per year) are more likely to be involved in an accident.
“Additionally, as the age of drivers increases, vehicles are less likely to be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC) and side protection. air bag The IIHS said: “Vehicles without an ESC have a 37% higher fatality rate for drivers aged 70 years and over, while vehicles without a standard head-guard side airbag are associated with higher mortality rates. of the older driver is more than double.”
Older drivers are also more likely to drive sedans and hatchbacks, the IIHS said. Both have an inherent disadvantage in crashes with the larger, safer SUVs favored by younger buyers. But reversing these trends isn’t as simple as telling older customers trade their old trip for something newer and safer.
“Convincing older drivers to take a different look at the vehicle they’re driving can significantly reduce deaths from driving,” said Jessica Cicchino, IIHS vice president of research and co-author of both studies. collision. “A big challenge is that, for people with fixed incomes, costs often override other concerns.”
And for many people, those concerns don’t include safety. Even older buyers who choose to trade their golden years don’t place a high priority on safety features. Drivers 70 years of age and older are less likely than middle-aged drivers to opt for ESC, blind-spot monitoring, side or curtain airbags, and automatic forward-collision warning or emergency brake (AEB), IIHS said, citing customer survey data showing that only about 25% of older drivers consider AEB an important feature to include (compared to 40% of middle-aged drivers).
But if older drivers retreated into safer cars, it could save lives. The IIHS says crash deaths could be reduced by 3% for drivers age 70 and older and 5% for drivers 80 and older if they drive vehicles with the same safety configuration. like a middle-aged man.
