Florida tops nation in fatal wrecks involving drivers 65+

One in five fatal wrecks in Florida involves an elderly driver, perhaps because one of five drivers in Florida is elderly.

That from a national study released today by TRIP, a non-profit transportation research group in Washington, D.C.

Researchers say the state is responding to the needs of it's elderly drivers. "The Florida Dept of Transportation has really been a leader in terms of modifying the driving environment to accomodate older drivers," said TRIP's Frank Moretti.

However, not many states have followed Florida's lead in doing things like painting wider stripes on the roads and making streets signs larger and easier to read.

Often, elderly drivers don't want to give up their driving habit, because they lack alternate modes of transportation, according to John Horsley, Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

He said some states are also reluctant to take away those licenses. "They wanted to make sure there were community services, such as transit available to provide alternative means (of transportation)."

The report concluded that traffic fatalities involving older drivers are "disproportionately high."