Why Older Drivers are a
Risk Group
T
echnology and economic development have
led to an increased use of vehicles and this
has a significant impact on road safety.
According to statistics from the official portal of
the Malaysia Road Transport Department, the
accident rate increased from 414,421 cases in
2010 to a record 489,606 cases in 2015. These
statistics are worrying and indicate that people
should be more aware of road safety.
This article will discuss whether an older
driver is part of the at-risk group in contributing
to road accident statistics. As we can see from
the Road Accident Statistics Malaysia issued by
Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) in 2015, a total of
1,610 accident cases involved people aged 66
years and older. This data shows that the number
of road accidents involving older drivers is a cause
for concern. Some countries have been studying
factors behind older drivers and road accidents.
Unfortunately no studies about older drivers have
been conducted in Malaysia.
In 2015, the Governors Highway Safety
Association (GHSA) defined older drivers as drivers
aged 65 years and above. The AAA Foundation for
Traffic Safety has found that compared to drivers
aged 55 till 64, drivers over the age 65 are almost
twice as likely to die in car crashes. The probability
increased by two and a half times for those over
the age of 75, and four times for those aged 85
and older.
By Intan Nadzirah Mohd Munir
Malaysian Institute Of Road Safety Research (MIROS)
One study was conducted to investigate the
road crossing behaviour of both older and younger
pedestrians to determine whether the older group
is more at risk than younger adult pedestrians.
The number of determinants for safe road
crossing action pedestrian behaviour was scored
and the significant differences were observed. The
results found that older pedestrian road crossing
behaviour in busy traffic situations are more
dangerous, compared to younger pedestrians
(Oxley, 1999).
Older Drivers and Road Accidents
Nowadays, older drivers who still work need
to use cars to facilitate their movement to their
workplace, and single older drivers often need to
be self-reliant. This shows that they are at risk to
be involved in road accidents. NIHSenior Health
has found that when people get older, their driving
patterns will change. Most older adults drive
safely because of the experience they have and
if one of them is involved in an accident, they are
often injured more seriously than younger drivers
because of their state of health. The common
reasons that affect older drives’ driving are
changes in driving habits because of retirement,
common mistakes, complex tasks and driving
errors.
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