The graph below shows the accident and fatality risk per milage driven against age. Driver crash risk follows a clear U-curve by age, but the type of risk shifts depending on how you measure it. Teens (16–17) have by far the highest total crash rate - around 1,400 per 100 million miles - driven by inexperience, poor hazard perception, and risk-taking behaviour. That rate drops sharply through the 20s and bottoms out in the 60s, the statistically safest age group on the road. Beyond 70, risk climbs again, but for a different reason. Older drivers don't crash more often in total terms - their overall crash rate stays relatively modest - but when they do crash, it kills them. Fragility, not recklessness, is the mechanism. A collision that a 35-year-old walks away from is potentially fatal at 80. Annual mileage adds another layer. Teens and the elderly drive the least - around 7,500–9,000 miles a year - while working-age adults (25–59) drive roughly double that. So while middle-aged drivers have low crash rates per mile, their sheer exposure means they account for the largest share of total crash numbers in absolute terms. The takeaway: age shapes how you're at risk, not just whether you are. Young drivers crash frequently but survive. Older drivers crash less but die more when they do. And the high-mileage middle cohort is safer per mile but omnipresent on the road. Ultimately, if you're an 80 year old and you are letting your 17 year old Gik drive - you face the greatest risk !!!
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