Seniors should upgrade vehicles
Elderly drivers can likely prevent injury following a car accident by upgrading their vehicles, according to new research. Insurance company, NRMA, and the News South Wales Centre for Road Safety last week claimed the safety of older drivers in the state was strongly linked to their choice of car.
Elderly drivers can likely prevent injury following a car accident by upgrading their vehicles, according to new research.
Insurance company, NRMA, and the News South Wales Centre for Road Safety last week claimed the safety of older drivers in the state was strongly linked to their choice of car.
The study showed older drivers tended to choose smaller vehicles, which could sometimes put them at a greater risk in two vehicle crashes.
To avoid possible car accident related injury, the study stated older drivers could reduce their risk by 90% if they upgraded to the “safest vehicle” available for sale in Australia.
The risk of serious injury would also drop 37% by purchasing “an affordable Australian model built after 2000”.
The study showed the elderly tend to retain their cars for longer, resulting in a greater risk as safety features in older models were reportedly less effective than those in newer cars, according to NSW Centre for Road Safety manager, Marg Prendergast.
“The fact that older drivers retain their vehicles for longer may be due to budgetary constraints, resistance to adapting to a new vehicle or an assumption that their current vehicle is safe,” she told AAP.
