OLDER DRIVERS INVOLVED IN FATAL CRASHES INCREASING AS THE NUMBER OF OLDER AMERICANS SURGES; INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED TO ENHANCESAFETY & MOBILITY OF OLDER DRIVERS AND ALL OTHER MOTORISTS

WHEN: 5:00 a.m. EDT Tuesday, March 13

WHAT:

A new national report to be released tomorrow by TRIP identifies states with the highest number and share of older drivers, states with the highest fatality and crash rates involving older drivers, strategies to help aging motorists remain mobile, and recommended transportation improvements.

According to the report, Preserving the Mobility and Safety of Older Americans, from 2012 to 2016, the rate of increase in the number of fatalities in crashes involving at least one driver 65 and older was twice as high as the rate of increase in overall fatalities, and the number of drivers 65 and older killed in crashes increased by more than 20 percent during the same period. In the last decade, the number of licensed drivers 65 and older has surged – increasing nearly 40 percent.

TRIP’s report also looks at emerging options for enhancing the mobility of older Americans and provides recommendations for improving the mobility and safety of older Americans.

TRIP is a national non-profit transportation research group based in Washington, D.C.

If you would like to review an embargoed draft of the report and the corresponding national news release, please let me know ASAP. The embargo will be lifted at 5:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 13.

CONTACT:

Rocky Moretti (TRIP)     202.262.0714 (cell)

Carolyn Bonifas Kelly (TRIP)    703.801.9212 (cell)