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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Driver ageing does not cause higher accident rates per km
Desmond O'neillLiisa Hakamies-blomqvistLiisa Hakamies-blomqvistTarjaliisa Raitanensubject
050210 logistics & transportationInjury controlbusiness.industryAccident prevention05 social sciencesPoison controlTransportation03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicineAge groupsAgeing0502 economics and businessAutomotive EngineeringInjury preventionForensic engineeringMedicine030212 general & internal medicinebusinessApplied PsychologyCivil and Structural EngineeringDemographydescription
Abstract Based on Finnish survey data, older (65+, n =1559) and younger (26–40, n =310) drivers’ accident rates were compared. In accordance with earlier studies, the rates were similar per driver (0.1) but there was a non-significant trend towards older drivers having more accidents per distance driven (10.8 vs. 8.3 per 1 million km). However, when the accidents-per-km comparison was made in groups matched for yearly exposure, there is no evidence for higher risk with increasing age. In both age groups, risk per km decreased with increasing yearly driving distance. We suggest that the previous perception of an age-related risk increase of accidents per distance driven arises from a failure to control for low mileage bias at all ages.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-12-01 | Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour |