Increase of elderly drivers on U.S. roads

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), released analysis Wednesday of data that shows there is a rise in elderly drivers within the United States.

The statistics show that one of the fastest growing groups of drivers are people who are 50 years old and above. As of 2014, there is currently a record-breaking amount of 214.3 million people who are licensed to drive inside the United States. Within this figure, there are 95.9 million people who are 50 years old and above who have been driving on the roads.

These figures show that there has been a rise of 2.4 million elderly drivers from last year. This supports the Beyond Traffic initiative, which is a 30-year plan for transportation in the United States that has received support from Anthony Foxx, the U.S. Transportation secretary. The plan estimates that elderly drivers (those who are 65 years old or older) will increase by 77 percent by the year 2045.

"America’s roads and bridges must meet the needs of all pedestrians and drivers," Gregory Nadeau, Federal Highway administrator, said. "Safety is our top priority, and our ongoing task is to find new and more effective ways to keep drivers safe, no matter what their age."