Study finds Texas ranks high in senior driver accidents

DALLAS (KDAF) — Texas ranks as the third most dangerous state for senior drivers, according to a new study by iSelect, which recorded 3,072 crashes involving motorists aged 65 and over in the past three years.

The study analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and found that crashes involving senior drivers in Texas have increased by 5% since 2021. This rise in incidents is part of a broader trend as the American population ages, with more senior citizens remaining active on the roads.

Adrian Bennett, General Manager of General Insurance at iSelect, emphasized the need for policies that balance mobility and safety as the number of senior drivers increases. “As ageing populations grow, the presence of senior drivers on the roads will only increase,” Bennett said. “With a higher proportion of old drivers comes a greater responsibility for governments, insurers and communities to ensure that mobility doesn’t come at the expense of safety.”

The full breakdown of crashes by state

State	Most common age to crash over 65	Most Common Month for crashes	Total Number of crashesover 65+ (2021-2023)	Increase of decreasein crashes since 2021
Florida	65	December	3779	3%
California	67	October	3276	5%
Texas	65	December	3072	5%
North Carolina	67	November	1424	-16%
Georgia	65	October	1387	-8%
Pennsylvania	66	August	1373	13%
Arizona	65	March	1212	49%
Ohio	65	August	1207	-2%
Michigan	66	July	1167	27%
New York	65	August	1163	14%
Illinois	67	September	1160	21%
Tennessee	65	September	1141	2%
Missouri	66	June	940	8%
Virginia	65	October	927	-12%
South Carolina	68	December	919	3%
Indiana	66	June	854	10%
Kentucky	65	October	781	14%
New Jersey	65	November	781	11%
Alabama	65	May	763	9%
Oklahoma	65	August	686	-8%
Louisiana	66	October	669	11%
Washington	65	August	657	22%
Wisconsin	71	August & July	608	1%
Oregon	67	September	589	9%
Colorado	65	September	574	13%
Arkansas	66	October	565	-4%
Mississippi	67	October	528	10%
Minnesota	67	December	509	-14%
Maryland	65	August	481	56%
Massachusetts	67	September	432	-2%
Kansas	71	November	364	-9%
Nevada	65	November	358	-10%
New Mexico	65	August	351	25%
Iowa	68	September	346	3%
West Virginia	71	August	320	-12%
Utah	67	September	266	-38%
Connecticut	65	December	254	5%
Idaho	71	July	241	37%
Nebraska	69	September	218	-7%
Montana	66	September	190	25%
Maine	65, 68	September	173	-38%
Delaware	65	April	154	-26%
New Hampshire	65, 66, 68	November & July	145	84%
South Dakota	66	August	134	18%
Hawaii	66	November	131	-3%
Wyoming	75	August & July	121	127%
North Dakota	69	November	101	-19%
Vermont	69	September	86	50%
Alaska	65	December	60	-9%
Rhode Island	65, 72, 79, 78	January	59	38%
District of Columbia	66	March	30	13%

Florida leads the nation with the highest number of senior driver crashes, totaling 3,779 incidents. California follows with 3,276 crashes, placing Texas third. These states are among the most populous and have dense traffic, which may contribute to the higher number of incidents.

The study also highlighted that October through December are the months when older motorists are most at risk for crashes. This seasonal trend suggests that weather and holiday traffic may play a role in the increased danger for senior drivers during these months.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by CW33. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by CW33 staff before being published.