Elderly Drivers and Road Safety: TMU Highlights Growing Safety Concerns

The event brought together academic experts and government officials to explore strategies that protect public safety while supporting the transportation autonomy of older adults in a rapidly aging society.

The symposium opened with welcome remarks from Po-Chang Lee, Director of the Center for Health and Welfare Policy at TMU, who emphasized the growing complexity of elderly driver issues in a super-aged society. He was joined by Shu-Ching Chang, Secretary-General of the Federation for the Welfare of the Elderly, and Yao-Hui Chang, Deputy Director of the Motor Vehicles Division, Directorate General of Highways, who each highlighted the policy significance of balancing mobility and road safety. The agenda featured expert panels and a keynote address focused on injury data, policy frameworks, and risk-based approaches to elderly driver management.

Keynote Research Findings

Professor Chih-Wei Pai, from the Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health at TMU, delivered a keynote speech titled:
“From the Individual to Others: Elderly Drivers and Traffic Injury Analysis.”

In his presentation, Professor Pai emphasized that aging leads to noticeable declines in vision, cognitive function, and reaction time—factors that significantly increase crash severity for both elderly drivers and other vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

Drawing from an analysis of over 426,000 vehicle crash records from the National Police Agency (2011–2023), the research revealed that:

• Drivers aged 75 and above had the highest pedestrian fatality rate, 2.44 times that of drivers aged 41–64.

• From age 65, the risk of pedestrian fatalities increases by 4.5% per year, and for drivers 75 and older, it jumps to 11.3% per year.

• The risk of fatal or serious injury to the elderly drivers themselves increases by 8.8% per year beyond age 65.

Unlicensed elderly drivers pose even greater risks:

• Among drivers aged 65–74, unlicensed drivers were 1.82 times more likely to cause fatal crashes involving vulnerable road users than licensed drivers.

• Among those aged 75 and older, that risk increased to 3.18 times.

• For pedestrian fatalities specifically, unlicensed drivers aged 75+ were 3.25 times more likely to cause fatal crashes than unlicensed drivers aged 41–64.

While the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) implemented a license renewal policy for senior drivers in 2017, Professor Pai noted that no significant decline in crash rates among elderly drivers has been observed, highlighting the need for further policy and infrastructure reform.

He recommended a multi-pronged strategy, including:

• Enhancing road infrastructure, such as installing pedestrian refuge islands, left-turn signals, and wider turning radii to reduce cognitive demands and blind spots.

• Improving public transportation systems to provide safer and more accessible alternatives for older adults.

• Gathering comprehensive data on licensing status, chronic illnesses, medications, and violations to support more targeted and evidence-based policy decisions.

The symposium brought together experts from academia and government to examine the current state and challenges of elderly driver management systems from multiple perspectives—including crash data analysis, driving risks, chronic illness, and medication effects. The goal was to develop policies that both safeguard traffic safety and protect the mobility rights of older adults, ultimately creating a safer, more age-friendly transportation environment.

🔗Original Press Release:
【Event Report】 – TMU Research Center for Health and Welfare Policy

【Special Report】 – TMU Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control (IPC)

🔗Related News:
Senior drivers in Taiwan linked to highest pedestrian fatality rate