Older drivers in the US hit record numbers

The number of older drivers on the US road network continues to increase. According to the latest data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the number of drivers on the US road network hit a record- high in 2016 at 221.7 million. Of these, 41.7 million are 65 years or older. This age group is growing faster than any other, and is far outpacing their teenage counterparts.
December 20, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The number of older drivers on the US road network continues to increase. According to the latest data from the 2410 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the number of drivers on the US road network hit a record- high in 2016 at 221.7 million. Of these, 41.7 million are 65 years or older. This age group is growing faster than any other, and is far outpacing their teenage counterparts.


The largest single-year percentage increase in licensed drivers that year was among those who are between 75-79 years old, increasing by 4.98% over the previous year. Except for five states – Michigan, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming – the nation saw increases among licensed drivers in 2016 compared to the previous year.

The new data show 57 million drivers between the ages of 20-34, which accounted for nearly one in four US drivers last year, increasing slightly from the 56.1 million reported in 2015.

Teen drivers continued to increase slightly for the third year in a row, rising to 8.8 million – the highest level since 2013, but remaining at among the lowest levels since the federal government began compiling driver license data in 1963.

In 2016, America’s 112.1 million licensed women drivers outnumbered their male counterparts by 2.5 million.

The data collected from all 50 states and Washington, DC, show that licensed drivers aged 85 or older increased by 161,182 people, or 4.62%, since the previous year, making it the nation’s second-fastest growing demographic group in 2016.

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