Accidents, Automobile

Who is at Risk?

Some populations may be overrepresented in the crash data because of behaviors associated with greater risks or may be overrepresented in injury data because they are less protected in some way. Such vulnerable populations include children, teenagers, older adults, communities of color, and nonmotorized road users (pedestrians and bicyclists).

Child passenger safety seats are key to protecting infants and children from motor vehicle injury. Because of their size and level of physical development, children are extremely vulnerable to injury and fatality as unrestrained passengers. Infants and toddlers are 4 times more likely to be unrestrained with an unrestrained driver than with a restrained driver. Even with the increase in car and booster seat use, many child safety seats are not installed properly.

Per population, the crash involvement rate of teen drivers is higher than that of any other age group. Issues related to human development, personality, peer influence, driving experience, and demographics all contribute to risk. New research in brain development shows that development of the prefrontal cortex, responsible for executive decision making, is not complete until the early 20s. Graduated driver licensing shows promise in reducing the teen crash rate, as do laws targeting underage drinking and driving and enforcing restricted alcohol sales to minors.

Although injury and fatality rates decline dramatically after young adulthood, they begin to rise again in older adulthood. Older adults face more severe injury risk in traffic crashes and are more likely to die from injuries. Some skills (vision, cognition, and sensory motor skills) important for safe driving may decline with the aging process, although age is not a predictor of driving skills and not all older adults experience a decline in skills that affect safe driving. As a percentage of the population, older drivers are least likely to be involved in motor vehicle crashes. However, per mile driven, older drivers have a higher rate of crash involvement. This is an increasing problem, as older adults comprise the fastest-growing age group in the United States. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reports that by 2020, there will be more than 40 million older licensed drivers.

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