State Motor Vehicle Laws and Older Drivers

Motor vehicle fatality rates among teenaged and older drivers, passengers, and pedestrians far exceed that of the middle-aged. However, there has been only limited research on the effect of state motor vehicle laws on older driver fatalities. This article reports on a study that used data from the 1985-2000 Fatality Analysis Reporting System to examine the effects of changes in state laws dealing with license renewal, seatbelt use, speed limits, and driving while intoxicated on fatalities among drivers and others aged 65 and over. Results showed that in-person license renewal reduced fatalities among the oldest drivers, but vision tests, road tests, and the length of the license renewal cycle generally did not. In terms of policies that apply to all drivers, seatbelt laws, particularly with primary enforcement, were generally the only policies that reduced older driver fatalities. The authors conclude that these results are particularly intriguing because a number of policies that have been effective in increasing younger driver safety are not relevant for older drivers. The authors call for policymakers to think broadly about strategies to use state laws to improve older driver safety.

Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/10579230
Authors:
- Morrisey, Michael A
- Grabowski, David C
Publication Date: 2005-4

Language

English

Media Info

Media Type: Print
Features: Figures; References; Tables;
Pagination: pp 407-419
Serial:
- Health Economics
- Volume: 14
- Issue Number: 4
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
- ISSN: 1057-9230
- EISSN: 1099-1050
- Serial URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1050

Subject/Index Terms

TRT Terms: Aged drivers; Driver licensing; Drunk driving; Fatalities; Legislation; Safety; Seat belts; Speed limits; State laws; Vision tests
Uncontrolled Terms: Age factors
Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

Accession Number: 01003958
Record Type: Publication
Files: TRIS
Created Date: Sep 13 2005 5:35AM