Senior Drivers – Did You Know?

Statistics disprove some of the preconceptions about drivers aged 65 or older. Here are a few.

Drivers aged 65 or older are proportionally less likely to be involved in traffic accidents

In 2025, 25% of all driver's licence holders were aged 65 or older. However, they only represented 15% of drivers involved in accidents resulting in bodily injury.

Numbers to prove it

From 2021 to 2025, each year, on average:

• 115 drivers aged 65 or older were involved in fatal accidents, representing 22% of all drivers involved in this type of accident
• 209 drivers aged 65 or older were involved in accidents resulting in serious injuries, representing 14% of all drivers involved in this type of accident
• 4,758 drivers aged 65 or older were involved in accidents resulting in minor injuries, representing 14% of all drivers involved in this type of accident

To compare, in 2025, drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 were involved in 17% of accidents resulting in bodily injury even though they only represent 8% of driver's licence holders.

Accidents among drivers aged 65 or older

Drivers aged 65 or older are proportionally involved in fewer accidents resulting in bodily injury than all driver's licence holders. A significant proportion of accidents involving senior drivers occur in urban areas at intersections. 

However, in the event of an accident, people aged 65 or older are more likely to sustain fatal injuries or be left with significant impairment, given their greater physiological vulnerability.

Inattention

Normal aging leads to a decreased ability to remain concentrated and pay divided attention to multiple stimuli. As a result, 39% of fatal accidents and 49% of accidents that result in bodily injury and involving older drivers are due to inattention or distraction. 

Medication and alcohol

Recent data shows that increasing numbers of aging Quebecers are using more than one medication. From 2000 to 2022, the proportion of these individuals taking at least 10 different medications increased from 24.2% to 34.4%, while the proportion of these individuals taking at least 15 medications almost doubled, increasing from 7.7% to 13.6%. In 2022, women, people aged 85 or older and those living with material and social deprivation were more likely to use multiple medications simultaneously.
Source: SIROIS Caroline, Marc SIMARD and Véronique BOITEAU. Vieillissement en santé : Portrait de la polypharmacie chez les personnes aînées au Québec de 2000 à 2022, Québec, INSPQ, April 2025, p. 21.

Also in 2022, approximately one in three people aged 65 or older claimed at least 10 medications over the course of the year. More than half of senior Quebecers also used at least one potentially inappropriate medication identified by the INESSS. Compared to other Canadian provinces and similar jurisdictions, Québec had among the highest proportions of aging people using multiple medications simultaneously or potentially inappropriate medications.

Source : BRESSAN Cédric, Melissa CARON, Rodolphe JANTZEN and Marie-Pierre ROUSSEAU. Portrait de la polypharmacie et de l’usage de médicaments potentiellement inappropriés chez les personnes âgées au Québec : État des pratiques, Québec, INESSS, 2024, p. 61.

The simultaneous use of several medications, or the combination of medication and alcohol, even in small quantities, considerably increases risks to road safety. Over-the-counter medication is no exception.

Aging also decreases a person’s tolerance to alcohol. The same quantity consumed will have greater effects on the faculties necessary for driving safely.

Eyesight is important!

The vast majority of the information that a driver needs to drive safely passes through the eyes.

Among seniors, there is:

• a longer adaptation period following changes in brightness
• decreased sensitivity to contrast
• decreased eyesight

Traffic accidents involving senior drivers don't always occur when we expect them

Accidents involving senior drivers generally occur in favourable driving conditions: during the daytime, in good weather, and on dry pavement that is in good condition. These are the conditions in which seniors are most likely to drive.

Your vehicle can be adapted!

If you have a disability, an occupational therapist can help you compensate for certain physical limitations by recommending that you have your vehicle adapted. This may include the installation of:

• a steering wheel spinner
• an accelerator pedal on the left

For more information, visit our section entitled Adapting or Purchasing a Vehicle.