HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS AND THE OLDER DRIVER

The research reported in this paper examined the relationship between driver age and highway accidents by using a variation of the induced exposure method. In this method the exposure of drivers to highway accidents is represented by their relative probability of being the driver of the vehicle that was not cited for a contributing hazardous action in an accident, that is, involvement as an "innocent victim" in highway accidents. The measure of induced exposure used in this research is based on the information contained in the computerized accident records prepared by the Michigan Department of State Police and maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation. The records contain the information reported by the investigating officer at the scene of the accident. The results indicate that the accident involvement of elderly drivers is higher than that of other drivers.