"The archetypical elderly driver fatality involves a belted, sober driver pulling into the path of an oncoming vehicle during the day and dying several days after a collision of moderate severity. Pre-existing health issues are often related to the death. In contrast, the archetype for a 30-45 year-old driver fatality involves an unbelted, impaired driver losing control of his/her vehicle at night and dying during an extremely severe, single-vehicle crash."
"On the Fatal Crash Experience of Older Drivers," 2005
Newswise — A study co-authored by a University of Virginia professor suggests that seniors citizens will die in car accidents at a higher rate in the years ahead as America's 75 million baby boomers age, grow more frail and continue to drive.
Already, seniors 65 and over are second-most likely to die in car accidents, after young people aged 15-24, according to a National Institute on Aging report on America's elderly, "65+ in the United States: 2005," released March 9.
"In general, older people are more susceptible to injury than younger people," said Richard Kent, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at U.Va.s' School of Engineering and Applied Science. "As the population ages, the ratio of women to men also changes, going from 1-to-1 for young people to 100 women for every 35 men by age 85. And women tend to be more frail than men, making them more susceptible to injury."
Kent studied the characteristics of car accidents and the nature of injuries sustained by older drivers in a research project titled "On the Fatal CrashExperience of Older Drivers." The resulting paper, co-authored with BasemHenary, research associate, mechanical and aerospace engineering at U.Va.and Fumio Matsuoka, project manager for vehicle safety, Vehicle EngineeringDivision, Toyota Motor Corp., Japan, was recently named the Best ScientificPaper for 2005 by the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicinein Barrington, Ill., an organization dedicated to the prevention and controlof injuries from motor vehicle accidents.
The researchers' goal was to identify unique aspects of older-driver crashes-- in particular, the body region injured, the severity of the crash and the circumstances surrounding fatal crashes in which they were involved "- withan eye to identifying patterns that could be used in developing new technologies to assist seniors in driving safely.
The researchers studied police reports on thousands of vehicle accidents for the years 1992-2002. They examined the accidents and injuries for three groups of drivers: young adults (16-33), middle-aged adults (34-64), and seniors (65 and older).
The researchers' findings included:
"¢ Drivers 65 and over killed in car accidents were significantly more likely to die of a chest injury (47.3 percent vs. 24.0 percent in the youngest group) "¢ Younger drivers were more likely to die of a head injury (22.0 percent vs. 47.1 percent in the oldest group) "¢ Older drivers were more likely to die at a date after the crash date ("delayed death" ) "¢ Frailty or pre-existing health conditions played a significant role in the deaths of the older group, but not in the younger group (50.0 percent of the deaths of the older group vs. 4.3 percent of the younger drivers' deaths) "¢ Despite driving at lower average speeds than younger and middle-aged drivers, and a greater likelihood of wearing seatbelts, older drivers were more likely to be injured or die in an accident than younger drivers.
According to the paper, published in the September 2005 Annual Proceedingsof the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine: "The archetypical elderly driver fatality involves a belted, sober driver pulling into the path of an oncoming vehicle during the day and dying several days after a collision of moderate severity. Pre-existing health issues are often related to the death. In contrast, the archetype for a 30-45 year-old driver fatality involves an unbelted, impaired driver losing control of his/her vehicle at night and dying during an extremely severe, single-vehicle crash."
The study recommended that government and industry officials consider changes that would help reduce seniors' injuries and deaths from motor vehicle collisions. Areas deserving of attention included: roadway design, road signage, vehicle controls and active and passive safety systems.
Researchers also identified technological developments that could help older drivers. These included seatbelts that would limit the force of a crash on a driver's body, crash-avoidance systems, technologies that would prevent elderly drivers from crossing the centerline or pulling into an intersection without having the right-of-way. U.Va. School of Engineering and Applied Science
Founded in 1836, the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science combines research and educational opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Within the undergraduate programs, courses in engineering, ethics, mathematics, the sciences and the humanities are available to build a strong foundation for careers in engineering and other professions. Its abundant research opportunities complement the curriculum and educate young men and women to become thoughtful leaders in technology and society.
At the graduate level, the Engineering School collaborates with the University's highly ranked medical and business schools on interdisciplinary research projects and entrepreneurial initiatives. With a distinguished faculty and a student body of 2,000 undergraduates and 650 graduate students, the Engineering School offers an array of engineering disciplines, including cutting-edge research programs in computer and information science and engineering, bioengineering, and nanotechnology. For more information, visit http://www.seas.virginia.edu.
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