Older Driver Crashes: Where They Crash Relative to Where They Live

Elderly drivers have a higher crash risk than any other demographic group. In rural states, funding for transportation improvements has, over the last ten years, been directed toward metropolitan areas. The thinking was that alloting funds this way would improve travel for the greatest number, since population trends in largely rural states are towards metro areas.

However, the unintended consequence has been the defunding of transportation improvements in rural areas, which disportortionately impact older residents/drivers.

This study looks at the location of older driver crashes relative to their residences, within Iowa. Ten years of crash and transportation investment data will be analyzed in this study. It is expected that in Iowa, elderly drivers are more likely to crash within close proximity to their home, and that reduced funding for road maintenance and improvement will increase both the number and severity of crashes.