October 2006 ISSUE
Readers’ Forum
Older Drivers Are Good Drivers
We welcome Readers’ Forum letters of interest to the professions. Send them to George Lee, glee@apega.ca. Keep them to 300 words or less. Letters represent the opinions and not necessarily the expertise of writers. The PEGG reserves the right to edit or reject any letter.
Re: The Signs They Are A-Changin’, The PEGG, September 2006.
This article perpetuates the mythical stereotype that older drivers are hampered
behind the wheel.
In actuality, older drivers are safer drivers. The document Alberta Traffic
Collision Statistics 2004 bears this out, showing that injury collisions
per 1,000 licences actually decrease with age to eight for drivers over 65, all
the way from 20.9 for drivers 24 and under.
Perhaps these statistics demonstrate safer driving is proportional to years of experience. I would surmise that there are few new drivers in the 65-plus age group, but there are many aged 24 and under. Until someone can demonstrate otherwise, then I would conclude that drivers become safer drivers as they age.
Total injury collision statistics in 2004 tell a similar story — 8,134 for those under 24, 1,937 for those over 65.
I have heard the argument that older drivers tend to drive less distance, avoid peak rush hour and avoid driving in bad weather and so forth.
Precisely. Drivers with more experience use their experience to avoid collisions.
From a marketing basis, if you want to segment an audience, which group would you target to obtain the greatest bang for your buck? I suggest that the last target market would be the 65-plus group, which not only has the lowest collision rate but also contributes the least number of collisions.
Les Hempsey, P.Eng.
Edmonton