Fatality Facts 2020Older people

Overview

In 2020, motor vehicle crashes accounted for less than 1 percent of fatalities among people 70 and older. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2021). Web-based injury statistics query and reporting system (WISQARS): 2020 unintentional fatal injury data for 10 leading causes of deaths, ages 70-85+, all races, both sexes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcause.html.People ages 70 and older are less likely to be licensed to drive compared with younger people, and drivers 70 and older also drive fewer miles. However, older drivers are keeping their licenses longer and driving more miles than in the past.

Per mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase noticeably starting at age 70-74 and are highest among drivers 85 and older. The increased fatal crash risk among older drivers is largely due to their increased susceptibility to injury, particularly chest injuries, and medical complications, rather than an increased tendency to get into crashes. Cicchino, J. B. (2015). Why have fatality rates among older drivers declined? The relative contributions of changes in survivability and crash involvement. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 83, 67-73.

The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

Posted May 2022.

Population and mileage rates

Looked at by age group, 2020 motor vehicle crash death rates begin increasing for both males and females at ages 75-79. Males had substantially higher death rates than females for ages 16 and older.

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people by age and sex, 2020

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people by age and sex, 2020
AgeMaleFemaleTotal
PopulationDeathsRatePopulationDeathsRatePopulationDeaths*Rate
<16 33,110,031 761 2.3 31,588,412 527 1.7 64,698,443 1,293 2.0
16-19 8,733,204 1,580 18.1 8,333,344 705 8.5 17,066,548 2,290 13.4
20-24 11,054,010 3,014 27.3 10,462,736 1,128 10.8 21,516,746 4,144 19.3
25-29 11,801,783 3,019 25.6 11,407,836 1,053 9.2 23,209,619 4,077 17.6
30-34 11,277,899 2,722 24.1 11,077,889 911 8.2 22,355,788 3,636 16.3
35-39 10,914,217 2,289 21.0 10,878,032 810 7.4 21,792,249 3,107 14.3
40-44 10,062,419 2,033 20.2 10,216,194 688 6.7 20,278,613 2,729 13.5
45-49 10,051,975 1,887 18.8 10,313,523 649 6.3 20,365,498 2,541 12.5
50-54 10,068,666 1,989 19.8 10,352,386 687 6.6 20,421,052 2,681 13.1
55-59 10,433,907 2,245 21.5 11,044,759 705 6.4 21,478,666 2,955 13.8
60-64 10,040,027 1,982 19.7 10,939,491 660 6.0 20,979,518 2,650 12.6
65-69 8,184,815 1,446 17.7 9,231,222 532 5.8 17,416,037 1,979 11.4
70-74 6,544,782 1,053 16.1 7,640,775 495 6.5 14,185,557 1,554 11.0
75-79 4,377,946 787 18.0 5,407,543 436 8.1 9,785,489 1,226 12.5
80-84 2,666,508 541 20.3 3,687,655 338 9.2 6,354,163 882 13.9
≥85 2,272,083 571 25.1 4,063,454 334 8.2 6,335,537 908 14.3

In 2016-17, the rate of passenger vehicle driver fatal crash involvements per 100 million miles traveled began to increase at ages 70-74. Drivers 85 and older had the highest rate of fatal crash involvement.Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (2020). [Unpublished analysis of April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the National Household Travel Survey]. 

Passenger vehicle fatal crash involvements per 100 million miles traveled by driver age, April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017

Passenger vehicle fatal crash rates per 100 million miles traveled, by driver age, April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017
AgeCrash involvementsMilesRate
16-19 3,023 62,410,423,548 4.8
20-24 5,615 172,158,820,127 3.3
25-29 4,963 213,487,256,997 2.3
30-34 4,052 228,055,122,817 1.8
35-39 3,290 235,513,924,779 1.4
40-44 2,933 221,981,057,921 1.3
45-49 2,868 211,720,351,245 1.4
50-54 2,954 229,997,362,385 1.3
55-59 2,791 216,227,224,007 1.3
60-64 2,397 195,073,278,082 1.2
65-69 2,003 149,557,419,942 1.3
70-74 1,468 87,458,953,733 1.7
75-79 1,094 51,982,073,748 2.1
80-84 882 20,669,598,896 4.3
≥85 858 11,313,581,400 7.6
Total* 41,234 2,307,606,449,627 1.8

Crash types

Among passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020, the proportion in multiple-vehicle crashes at intersections increases steadily with age starting at 65-69. Multiple-vehicle crashes at intersections accounted for 39 percent of fatal crash involvements among drivers 80 and older, compared with 21 percent for drivers ages 16-59.

Passenger vehicle drivers in fatal crashes by age and crash type, 2020
AgeMultiple-vehicle intersection crashesOther multiple-vehicle crashes Single-vehicle intersection crashes Other single-vehicle crashes All crashes*
Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%
16-19 710 24 982 33 119 4 1,186 40 2,997 100
20-24 1,092 21 2,001 38 268 5 1,906 36 5,267 100
25-29 1,033 20 2,149 41 264 5 1,814 34 5,260 100
30-34 838 19 1,829 42 204 5 1,494 34 4,365 100
35-39 736 19 1,637 43 178 5 1,225 32 3,776 100
40-44 634 20 1,338 42 164 5 1,033 33 3,169 100
45-49 583 21 1,244 44 151 5 826 29 2,804 100
50-54 585 21 1,198 44 115 4 855 31 2,753 100
55-59 623 23 1,153 42 126 5 851 31 2,753 100
60-64 545 22 1,041 42 119 5 750 31 2,455 100
65-69 497 27 732 39 95 5 543 29 1,867 100
70-74 396 27 595 40 73 5 425 29 1,489 100
75-79 353 32 439 40 44 4 269 24 1,105 100
80-84 281 36 266 34 29 4 202 26 778 100
≥85 299 43 208 30 32 5 162 23 701 100

Pedestrians

Among adults 70 and older, the rate of pedestrian deaths per 100,000 population in 2020 was highest for people ages 80-84. For all age groups the rate of pedestrian deaths per capita was higher for males than females.

Pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people by age and sex, 2020
AgeMaleFemaleTotal
PopulationDeathsRatePopulationDeathsRatePopulationDeaths*Rate
<13 26,583,317 84 0.3 25,323,325 60 0.2 51,906,642 144 0.3
13-15 6,526,714 32 0.5 6,265,087 13 0.2 12,791,801 47 0.4
16-19 8,733,204 115 1.3 8,333,344 66 0.8 17,066,548 182 1.1
20-24 11,054,010 268 2.4 10,462,736 125 1.2 21,516,746 394 1.8
25-29 11,801,783 354 3.0 11,407,836 155 1.4 23,209,619 510 2.2
30-34 11,277,899 432 3.8 11,077,889 161 1.5 22,355,788 594 2.7
35-39 10,914,217 408 3.7 10,878,032 161 1.5 21,792,249 571 2.6
40-44 10,062,419 385 3.8 10,216,194 133 1.3 20,278,613 524 2.6
45-49 10,051,975 382 3.8 10,313,523 124 1.2 20,365,498 509 2.5
50-54 10,068,666 398 4.0 10,352,386 139 1.3 20,421,052 540 2.6
55-59 10,433,907 473 4.5 11,044,759 167 1.5 21,478,666 642 3.0
60-64 10,040,027 436 4.3 10,939,491 147 1.3 20,979,518 588 2.8
65-69 8,184,815 300 3.7 9,231,222 122 1.3 17,416,037 423 2.4
70-74 6,544,782 195 3.0 7,640,775 88 1.2 14,185,557 286 2.0
75-79 4,377,946 125 2.9 5,407,543 74 1.4 9,785,489 199 2.0
80-84 2,666,508 75 2.8 3,687,655 67 1.8 6,354,163 144 2.3
≥85 2,272,083 83 3.7 4,063,454 54 1.3 6,335,537 138 2.2

Alcohol

Ten percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers 70 years and older in 2020 had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08 percent, compared with 21 percent for drivers ages 60-69 and 36 percent for drivers ages 16-59.

Fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BAC ≥ 0.08 percent by age, 2020
AgeDrivers killedEstimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08
NumberNumber%
16-59 years 13,498 4,830 36
60-69 years 2,131 452 21
≥70 years 2,558 250 10