According to an estimate from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, approximately 1 in four drivers will be 65 years old or older by the year 2030. Baby Boomers, the generation comprising the largest percentage of Americans, will begin entering their mid-60s soon, and several organizations — including the American Highway Users Alliance, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Transportation for America, Easter Seals, American Traffic Safety Services Association, and the American Association of Retired Persons — have joined together to form the Coalition for Older Roadway User Safety (CORUS), a group promoting increased highway safety for elderly drivers and pedestrians.
CORUS unanimously supports newly introduced U.S. Senate Bill 1813, also known as the Moving ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The bill would insist that states with an elevated rate of elderly driver and pedestrian fatalities and injuries reprioritize their Strategic Highway Safety Plans to specifically aim for decreasing these statistics. The number of people killed In auto accidents is on a steady decline, but in 2010, nearly 33,000 people were killed in traffic accidents, and another 2.2 million sustained injuries. The bill would also focus on improving safety for teen drivers and drivers on rural roadways.
As a San Bernardino car accident lawyer, I hope we can continue to make the roads safer for drivers of all ages. If you or someone you care about has been injured in an automobile accident, please consider discussing your case with a licensed San Bernardino injury lawyer.