American Automobile Association

The American Automobile Association, Inc., its 59 regional affiliated motor clubs, and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety are dedicated to keeping seniors driving for as long as safely possible. AAA is also committed to promoting viable transportation options for seniors who can no longer drive independently. AAA has an extensive section on its website dedicated to older driver safety and is intended to provide users with general information to help them better understand the traffic safety implications of certain health conditions and human behaviors. Learn more.

Driver License Renewal Policies and Fatal Crash Involvement Rates of Older Drivers

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Key Findings
• Requiring license renewal to be conducted in person was associated with a 9% reduction in fatal crash involvement rates for drivers 55+ and a 25% reduction for drivers ages 85+.
• Enacting or repealing a requirement for mandatory vision testing at license renewal was not associated with any significant change in fatal crash involvement rates for older drivers.
• Drivers ages 85+ had lower fatal crash involvement rates in states that required vision testing than in states that did not; however, given the lack of evidence of changes in safety following changes in vision testing requirements, these differences may be due to other factors besides the vision testing requirements.
• Increasing the frequency of license renewals, requiring drivers to pass a knowledge or on-road test, and mandating physician reporting of drivers were not associated with statistically significant reductions in fatal crash involvement rates.