UB School of Economics
Spain has recorded an increase on its number of elderly drivers due to an increase in this population cohort and, as in other countries, it will become more significant over the coming years. According to a recent study co-authored by UB School of Economics researchers Mercedes Ayuso and Miguel Santolino, based on data from 2016 provided by the Dirección General de Tráfico de España (Spanish Traffic Authority), the accident severity and the expected costs of accidents increase when the driver is over the age of 75.
The article “
” has been published in the Journal of Safety Research, 73, 37-46, 2020. The objective of this study was to quantify the probability that the accident is mild, severe or very serious depending on the severity of the injured victims. The results evidenced the link between the most serious accidents and elderly drivers, 75 years or older. “This should not be interpreted as that our elderly drivers drive worse; they are more fragile and less able to react because of their age. Compensation and economic damages increase with the severity of injuries in victims, hence the increase in expected costs resulting from traffic accidents involving older drivers”, Mercedes Ayuso said.