Elderly casualties on the rise
12 Jul 2013|2,574 views
According to The Straits Times, motorists who are 60 years and above form a growing pool of drivers killed or hurt in road accidents. In fact, they accounted for 15.6 percent last year, a rise from 11.6 percent of total casualties in 2009.
Interestingly, drivers younger than 25 - long seen by motor insurers as the riskiest group - account for a shrinking share of casualties in the same period.
However, The Straits Times reported that these trends do not mean older drivers are less careful on the road, but instead it could be due to them being more frail, leading them to have a higher tendency of being more easily hurt or killed in an accident than younger drivers.
The US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety made a similar observation in a study done between 1993 and 1997 and noted that drivers between ages 75 and 79 incurred more claims for damage to other vehicles.
However, according to our local paper, Singapore does not have readily available statistics to show third-party damage, injuries and deaths categorised by age.
But Singapore insurers tend to treat those between 45 and 60 as the "safest" cohort, giving them the best rates, although the risk profile changes from 65, leading many to levy higher premiums on older drivers.
Car rental companies do the same. Most in Singapore will either refuse to lease their vehicles to elderly drivers - some as soon as they cross age 65 - or apply an insurance surcharge.
According to The Straits Times, motorists who are 60 years and above form a growing pool of drivers killed or hurt in road accidents. In fact, they accounted for 15.6 percent last year, a rise from 11.6 percent of total casualties in 2009.
Interestingly, drivers younger than 25 - long seen by motor insurers as the riskiest group - account for a shrinking share of casualties in the same period.
However, The Straits Times reported that these trends do not mean older drivers are less careful on the road, but instead it could be due to them being more frail, leading them to have a higher tendency of being more easily hurt or killed in an accident than younger drivers.
The US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety made a similar observation in a study done between 1993 and 1997 and noted that drivers between ages 75 and 79 incurred more claims for damage to other vehicles.
However, according to our local paper, Singapore does not have readily available statistics to show third-party damage, injuries and deaths categorised by age.
But Singapore insurers tend to treat those between 45 and 60 as the "safest" cohort, giving them the best rates, although the risk profile changes from 65, leading many to levy higher premiums on older drivers.
Car rental companies do the same. Most in Singapore will either refuse to lease their vehicles to elderly drivers - some as soon as they cross age 65 - or apply an insurance surcharge.
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