Older vehicles do not have the kind of safety features that newer ones do, so drivers raise their risk for a crash in them. What Ohio residents should know is that those who tend to own older vehicles are precisely those two age groups who already run the highest risk for a crash: newly licensed teens, and adults aged 65 and older.
What the study involved
The Center for Injury Research and Prevention, a team of researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, conducted the study, the results of which were released in August 2020. Researchers studied the 2010-2017 crash data for the state of New Jersey and determined what vehicles involved in these crashes were old and lacked certain critical safety features like side and curtain airbags and electronic stability control.
Lower-income drivers and older vehicles
The link between lower income and the age of one’s vehicle became quickly apparent. Teens in lower-income neighborhoods were found to be driving cars twice as old as those owned by higher-income teens. The latter were 53% more likely than lower-income teens to have a car with side airbags while higher-income drivers 65 and older were 35% more likely to have that feature.
Researchers emphasize how all drivers, whatever their income, should strive to own the safest possible vehicle. Some safe vehicles are being sold for less than $7,000.
Seeking compensatory damages after a crash
You incurred a personal injury, and since your vehicle was an old one, your losses were severe. Still, you can seek to be reimbursed for your economic and non-economic damages, ranging from vehicle repair costs and medical expenses to pain and suffering. You may hire a lawyer to help you build up your claim with evidence against the defendant. The lawyer may then speak on your behalf at the negotiation table.