Taipei Medical University’s Center for Health and Welfare Policy Research held a symposium titled "Is the Elderly Driver Management Policy Feasible?—Balancing Traffic Injury Prevention and Mobility Rights for the Elderly" on July 15, 2025.
The event explored the current state and challenges of elderly driver policies from various perspectives, including:

• Elderly driver management systems

• Analysis of traffic injuries

• The impact of medications and diseases on driving risk

• The transportation autonomy of older adults

The goal was to identify balanced strategies that meet the mobility needs of the elderly while ensuring overall traffic safety, thereby fostering a safe, friendly, and flexible transportation environment for aging populations.

Professor Chih-Wei Pai from the Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control delivered a keynote speech titled:
“From the Individual to Others: Elderly Drivers and Traffic Injury Analysis.”

In his presentation, Professor Pai emphasized that with aging, drivers experience declining reaction time, cognitive function, and vision—factors that not only increase the severity of crashes involving themselves but also pose greater risks to vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists.

Analyzing more than 420,000 automobile crash records from the National Police Agency (2011–2023), Professor Pai found that:

• Drivers aged 75 and older had the highest pedestrian fatality rate across all age groups—2.44 times higher than drivers aged 41–64.

• The risk increased significantly with age:

  • From age 65, the risk of pedestrian death increased by 4.5% per year.

  • For those 75 and older, the increase reached 11.3% annually.

  • The risk of driver fatality also rose by 8.8% per year.

• Unlicensed elderly drivers posed even greater risks:

  • Among drivers aged 65–74, unlicensed drivers were 1.82 times more likely to cause fatalities among vulnerable road users than licensed drivers.

  • For those 75 and older, the risk jumped to 3.18 times.

  • When looking at fatal crashes involving pedestrians, 75-year-old unlicensed drivers had 3.25 times the risk compared to unlicensed drivers aged 41–64.

Professor Pai highlighted the compounded risks of aging and driving without a license, stressing that although current elderly driver management policies are headed in the right direction, additional support and environmental improvements are needed to effectively protect both pedestrians and elderly drivers.

He recommended a multifaceted approach:

• Improvements in road infrastructure (e.g., refuge islands, dedicated left-turn signals)

• Strengthening public transportation systems

• Collecting detailed data on driver licensing rates, violations, and comorbidities to guide evidence-based policy refinement

The goal is to build a scientifically grounded elderly driver management system that enhances both safety and autonomy.

Related news coverage and event photos:

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6156867
https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202507150028
https://www.pinview.com.tw/News/46390.html
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ahel/202507150302.aspx
https://udn.com/news/amp/story/7266/8873861?from=udnamp-referralnews_ch2artbottom

Professor Pai’s personal interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBP8ZiI4b1k

Photos: