DRIVING STATISTICS OF SENIORS vs. GENERAL POPULATION BY YEAR
2015
RAND INSTITUTE FOR CIVIL JUSTICE, 2007, AS CATALOGUED IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, ‘ESTIMATING THE ACCIDENT RISK OF OLDER DRIVERS’
The Rand Institute’s conclusions regarding the Accident Risk of Older Drivers;
Relative risk of accident by older drivers actually diminishes with age.
…The relative risk of older drivers changed little between the early 1970’s and 2003, despite a continually aging population.
…As the population ages, the number of injuries, especially fatal ones, sustained by older individuals in car accidents will rise, not because older drivers are more likely to cause accidents, but primarily due to their more frail physical condition. (It is appropriate to note that anyone in a more frail physical condition, including pregnant women and those suffering an illness, are at greater risk of injury, not because they cause more accidents but because they are more frail.)
…The research also concludes that middle age groups, those between 25 years and 64, are involved in 85% of all accidents. And the younger drivers, those between 15 years and 24, are involved in 45% of all accidents, while the older drivers–those between the ages of 65 years and beyond–are involved in 23% of all accidents. (Involvement does not necessarily mean ’caused’.)
…The Rand research states: “ The good record of the older driver is more likely due to experience and self regulation, than any licencing policies, in reducing risk”.
Alzheimer’s Society of Canada statistics: In 2011, 747,000 Canadians were living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias – that’s 14.9 % of Canadians 65 and older. 85.1% of dementia patients are under 65.
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Wolfgang Fastenmeiera , Herbert Gstalterb , Tina Gehlertc, Berlin Germany, ‘Older Drivers: Possibilities and Limits of Testing and Screening ‘: “On the whole it is concluded that the enormous societal and economic effort of the screenings in no way outweighs any adverse effects on overall road traffic safety and the undue limiting of older peoples’ mobility.”
2014
Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, Tazmania: ends all special senior testing
Minister of Health and Aging, South Australia: Mandatory medical testing of older drivers will be abolished in South Australia.
SOURCES THAT IDENTIFY ELDERLY DRIVERS AS THE SAFEST ON THE ROAD:
- Transport Canada
- Statistics Canada
- Insurance Bureau of Canada
- ONTARIO MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION
- College of Family Physicians of Canada
- Personal Injury Lawyer Statistics (David Hollingsworth)
- Lakehead University Centre For Research on Safe Driving
- The Researchers at the Federal 5-year study of Elderly Drivers
- The Monash University of Australia, International Accident Research Centre, who have completed a 5-year study of senior drivers using Canadian content, and concluded that “special targeting of senior drivers cannot be justified”
- The Census Bureau of the United States, Abstract 2012, page 698, Transportation states “Accident Rates for Seniors much less than others”.
- United States Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: The most recent 6-year study states, “ We were wrong in thinking, that the increase in elderly drivers would lead to increase accidents, and we found out the opposite, ‘’ THAT THE ELDERLY ARE THE SAFEST DRIVERS ON THE ROADS”.
- European Federation of Psychologists Association
- Association of Retired Person’s of the United States
- Candrive, the Canadian Governments 5.5 million study of senior drivers confirms that seniors are the safest drivers on the road. Study link???
- European Transport Safety Council: ‘Medical Screening of Older Drivers: ageist and counter Productive’, Prof. Desmond O’Neill
Canadian Geriatrics Journal Comparison of the SIMARD MD to Clinical Impression in Assessing Fitness to Drive in Patients with Cognitive Impairment, Wernham, M., et al, Can Geriatr J. 2014 Jun; 17(2): 63–69. There is no co-relation between SIMARD MD testing and clinician decisions.
MENTAL HEALTH STATISTICS SHOWING THAT MOST MENTAL ILLNESSES IN THE U.S. AND IN CANADA ARE FOUND IN THOSE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15 YRS. AND 54 YRS. OF AGE….The Kim Foundation on Mental Illness
Queen’s University Study on Dementia: Together with the Alzheimer Association statistics we see that seniors are not the problem, that statistically seniors have the lowest rate of dementia, but that as the dangerous groups are aging, they are becoming more demented, earlier and thus ALL testing must be of ALL drivers and not the safest groups only.
2013
International Re-licensing Models of Older Drivers, 2013 explaining the sheer waste of money because it does not improve road safety, but causes much distress, reduced quality of life and even death in those having lost their driver’s licenses unjustly.
European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations on Traffic Psychology and Age-based Population Screening for Fitness to Drive explaining how age-based screening does not improve traffic accident statistics.
2012
The Census Bureau of the United States, Abstract 2012, page 698, Transportation states “Accident rates for Seniors much lower than others”.
Centre for Research on Safe Driving, Bedard, M. (2009-2012) “Restricting driving should not be the preferred approach for older drivers. …”
2011
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Annual Road Safety Report glorifies the good driving of the senior drivers. www.ontario.ca/orsar. Statistics from that Report:
- population of Ontario, 13,263,500
- Licensed Drivers in Ontario, 9,367,609
- The age group with the highest accident rate, are those between 18-54
- Category of Person Killed by Age, 2011:
- Drivers, most between 35-64 years of age.
- Elderly killed as passengers and pedestrians, total of 45.
- Demerit Point Suspension by Driver age, 2011:
- The group with the highest Demerit Point Suspensions, was those 18-54 years of age.
- Out of a total of 2,195 Suspensions, only 9 were filed against 65-year olds and above.
2010
Ontario Ministry of Transportation statistics: Ontario Road Safety Annual Report (ORSAR) 2010
Note: Table 2.17 – total number of drivers of all ages: 9,245,267
– total number of senior drivers: 1,319,881 or 14.28% of the driving population;
Table 2.2 – total number drivers killed = 299
– number seniors killed of the total = 59
Conclusion: senior drivers represent 14.28% of the driving population and account for only 19.7% of the driving-related deaths, despite the fact they may be somewhat more fragile then the majority of the population.
According to Traffic Police, regardless of age, the causes of injury-causing collisions are usually related to Aggressive Driving, Distracted Driving, Impaired Driving and Unsecured seatbelts.
TALL TALES TOLD BY THE ONTARIO MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION AND CLAIMED TO BE JUSTIFICATION FOR INTRODUCING DISCRIMINATORY SENIOR MEMORY AND DRIVING TESTING. Note the gross lack of peer review, considering the Minister’s studies would naturally be influenced by what the Minister wants. The Minister published a DISCLAIMER — he could not endorse the results of his own studies.
- 3 PILOT STUDY PROJECTS:
. The Senior Driver Education Pilot Study, October 1995, by Dr. Leo Tasca of the Ministry of Transportation;
. An Overview of Senior Driver Collision Risk, 1998, by Dr. Leo Tasca of the Ministry of Transportation;
. Process Evaluation of Ontario’s License Renewal Program for Older Drivers, October 1999, by Anita M. Myers et al, University of Waterloo.
* Inquires made to the Legislative Library in Toronto, revealed that, “ All of the mini studies (pilot projects) were undertaken by the ministry after the discriminating legislation was passed”. In other words, this discriminatory legislation against the elderly drivers of Ontario, was passed on a pure discriminatory basis.
NOW, for the JUSTIFICATION GIVEN BY THE ONTARIO MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION FOR INTRODUCING THIS LEGISLATION: July 22, 2014 email from Ryan Bailey, Team Leader, Special Projects MOT Ontario can be seen here and it is the most absurd explanation for why seniors are being targeted despite being the safest drivers on the road, even by MOT standards. As you can see, 3 pilot studies are hardly a match for real scientific study results.