Fantastic Forum the Original Art Bell's Midnight in the Desert and Coast to Coast AM Forum

Of the nation’s 221.7 million licensed drivers -- a record high -- almost 1 in 5 of them, or 41.7 million, are 65 years or older, the Transportation Department's Federal Highway Administration said on Monday.

"This age group is growing faster than any other, and is far outpacing their teenage counterparts," FHWA announced.

The largest single-year percentage increase in licensed drivers last year was among people between 75 and 79 years old (a 4.98 percent increase over 2015).

And data collected from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., show that licensed drivers aged 85 or older increased by 161,182 people – or 4.62 percent – since 2015, making it the nation’s second-fastest growing demographic group in 2016.

At the other end of the age spectrum, the number of teenage drivers increased slightly in 2016 for the third year in a row, rising to 8.8 million. That’s the highest number of teen drivers since 2013, but it remains among the lowest levels since the federal government began compiling driver license data in 1963.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, older drivers have higher rates of fatal crashes, based on miles driven, than any other group except young drivers.

FULL STORY

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, older drivers have higher rates of fatal crashes, based on miles driven, than any other group except young drivers.

All I can say is they don't deal with the soccer moms every day like I've been doing the last few years. I drive 15 or so MPH over the speed limit and have 10 or 12 pass me in 12 miles. And the most dangerous place around here for a pedestrian is a shopping center with a Starbucks or McDonald's....