CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - June 13, 2006 (UPI) -- A study co-authored by a University of Virginia professor suggests senior citizens will die in car accidents at a higher rate than other drivers.
That, says Assistant Professor Richard Kent, will occur as America's 75 million baby boomers age, grow frailer, but continue to drive.
"The archetypical elderly driver fatality involves a belted, sober driver pulling into the path of an oncoming vehicle during the day and dying several days after a collision of moderate severity," Kent said. "In contrast, the archetype for a 30- to 45-year-old driver fatality involves an unbelted, impaired driver losing control of (a) vehicle at night and dying during an extremely severe, single-vehicle crash."
Kent and study co-authors Basem Henary, a University of Virginia research associate, and Fumio Matsuoka, project manager for vehicle safety at Japan's Toyota Motor Corp., recommend changes that would help reduce seniors' injuries and deaths, such as better roadway design, road signage, and vehicle controls.
Copyright 2006 United Press International
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