Many people are familiar with the stereotypes that apply to elderly drivers.  Jokes about “old lady drivers” are common albeit it inappropriate.  Ironically, a recent study suggests that these stereotypes are not only inappropriate but may inaccurate.  The study conducted by researchers at Human Factors Safety Laboratory at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) reveals that the ability to perceive potential accident risks does not decline with age and that elderly drivers are more sensitive to potential accident risks than inexperienced drivers.

The study published in Accident Analysis and Prevention found that driver’s ability to perceive and focus on potential road hazards increases with driving experience.  The study involved comparing drivers of different age groups as they watched a hazard perception movie while connected to an eye tracking system.  The subjects were then exposed to six different hazards including intersections and pedestrians in the roadway.  The results of the study showed that both younger experienced drivers and elderly experienced drivers maintained comparable vigilance for hazards throughout the driving simulation exercise.  By contrast, younger inexperienced drivers tended to pay less attention following exposure to a high risk hazard.  The researchers also found that experienced drivers including elderly drivers focused on approaching traffic from cross streets when approaching intersections while inexperienced drivers focused straight ahead and paid less attention to vehicle approaching on the cross street.

It is fair to note that this study deals only with the ability to perceive hazards rather than the ability to respond to hazards.  Age may impact the speed of a driver’s reaction time, decision-making and judgment.  However, the study confirms an earlier study that compared age related driving risk posed by elderly drivers to that of younger less experienced drivers.  The prior RAND Corporation study found that drivers 15-24 are 66 percent more likely to cause an auto accident than a driver who was 65 or above.  In fact, drivers age 65 and older were at about the same risk of being involved in a car accident as drivers between the ages of 25-64.

This study suggests that driving experience plays a much bigger factor in avoiding Mississippi car accidents than any potential decline in driving ability related to age.  This study re-affirms the well-established fact that teenage drivers are at a substantial risk of being involved in a Mississippi car accident because of their lack of time behind the wheel.  While graduated driver’s licensing programs that grant driving privilege to young inexperienced drivers on an incremental basis have helped reduce teenage accident rates, studies have revealed that teenage accident rates spike as soon as new teen drivers have been granted unrestricted driver’s licenses.  Some states are considering expanding the period of time that must elapse before granting an unrestricted license while removing limitations more incrementally over that period of time.

If you are injured in a Mississippi car accident involving a teen driver, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries.  The experienced Mississippi teen car accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing aggressive representation to Mississippi car accident victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.