Study: Older drivers less accident prone

Older drivers are less likely now to be involved in automobile accidents than other generations, according to a new study reported on by the Detroit News.

The study, which was conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, found that drivers over 70 years old had a lower accident rate since 1997 than drivers between 35- and 54-years-old did.

{mosads}The study found the accident rate among drivers older than 70 declined by 31 percent between 1997 and 2012.

The authors of the study attributed the difference to older citizens being more cautious on the road and driving safer cars.

Author Anne McCartt said the study should provide comfort to people concerned about older drivers remaining on the road, according to the paper. 

“This should help ease fears that aging baby boomers are a safety threat,” McCatt, who is the IIHS vice president, said in a statement. “Even crashes among the oldest drivers have been on a downswing.”