If you are over the age of 65 and you drive, it is crucial to review the myriad of traffic crash risks that you face on the road and the ways an accident could affect you. In fact, you could face these challenges while riding as a passenger or even walking near moving vehicles.
Sadly, so many of these accidents occur because of the negligence of other drivers, and those who speed, drive drunk or text behind the wheel must face consequences for their actions.
Traffic accident injuries and deaths among older adults
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that among those 65 and over, roughly 7,500 lost their lives in traffic collisions over the course of 2020. During the same year, almost 200,000 had to receive emergency department treatment for injuries that they suffered in a traffic collision.
To look at this information in another way, 20 older adults died and nearly 540 suffered injuries every day during 2020.
More older drivers are on the roads
The CDC also points out that the number of older adults with a driver’s license increased by 68% from 2000 to 2020. In 2020, nearly 48 million older adults had licenses. The increase in older adult drivers highlights how crucial it is to focus on accident prevention, especially since many people in this age group are particularly vulnerable when an accident occurs.
If you currently face any hardships because of a negligent driver causing a crash, you need to have a thorough understand of what occurred and obtain as much evidence as possible.