Press release No. N013 of 2 March 2023
- In 2021, 14.5% of all people involved in traffic accidents were 65 years or over; this age group made up 22.1% of the total population
- Older drivers are often the main cause of accidents
- Compared with all households, there are fewer cars in households of very old people
WIESBADEN – As a proportion of the total population, older people are involved in fewer traffic accidents than younger people. In 2021, 66,812 people aged 65 years or over were involved in accidents resulting in personal injury. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that they represented 14.5% of all people involved in accidents. However, 22.1% of the population in Germany were 65 years or over in 2021. One reason for the lower accident involvement may be that older people do not drive to work regularly and therefore use the roads less frequently than younger people. In addition, the use of individual means of transport, such as cars or bicycles, declines with old age.
