Factors leading to older drivers' intersection crashes

Objectives. Older drivers are overinvolved in intersection crashes compared with younger drivers, but the reasons are not clearly understood. The purpose of the present study was to identify the factors that lead to older drivers' intersection crashes. Method. Study participants were composed of two groups of older drivers—ages 70–79 (n = 78) and 80 and older (n = 76)—and a comparison group of drivers ages 35–54 (n = 73); all were at fault in intersection crashes involving nonfatal injuries. Police crash reports, telephone interviews with at-fault drivers, and photographs of intersections were used to determine the kinds of driver actions and errors that led to the intersection crashes. Results. Drivers 80 and older had fewer rear-end crashes than drivers ages 35–54 and 70–79, and both groups of older drivers had fewer ran-off-road crashes than drivers ages 35–54. Crashes where drivers failed to yield the right-of-way increased with age and occurred mostly at stop sign–controlled intersections, generally ...