Highway transportation incidents are the leading cause of occupational fatalities in the US with the highest fatality rates occurring among workers 65 or older. According to data analyzed by the CDC, workers 65 or older had the highest overall fatality rate, exceeding more than three times that of workers between the ages of 18-54 years.
Data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) collected between 2003-2010 shows that occupational highway transportation incidents killed a total of 11,587 US workers, 3,113 (26.9%) of whom were 55-years-old or older. Overall, fatality rates were highest among workers 65 or older (3.1 deaths per 100,000 full-time-equivalent (FTE) workers), followed by those between the ages of 55–64 (1.4 deaths per 100,000 FTE workers). According to the data, workers in the transportation and warehousing industries were at the highest risk as were workers who performed transportation and material moving duties. Fatality rates remained stable for those between the ages of 18–54 and 55–64, while workers 65 or older were more than three times more likely to be injured in a motor vehicle crash than those 18-54.
The safety of older workers behind the wheel is particularly important as more and more workers are working beyond the traditional retirement age. By 2020, the U.S. workforce 55 and older is projected to increase from approximately 15 million to 41 million In addition, physical and cognitive changes associated with normal aging (such as declines in visual acuity, skill in processing complex visual information, reaction time and executive functioning) affect the ability to drive, and beginning at the age of 60, drivers are more likely to die from injuries sustained in a crash.
Addressing modifiable behaviors and risk factors such as long work-hours, fatigue, occupational stress, time pressure, distracted driving, and nonuse of seat belts through injury prevention and wellness programs, the CDC suggests, can help employers and workers work together to prevent theses work-related motor vehicle crashes.
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