AAA identifies dangerous roads for elderly drivers

The most dangerous roads for elderly drivers in the Philadelphia region apparently are not high-speed expressways, but familiar roads near shopping centers and retirement homes.

The auto club AAA/MidAtlantic on Monday identified the local highways with the most crashes involving drivers 65 and older, just in time for Older Driver Safety Awareness Week.

Route 3 (West Chester Pike) in Newtown Township, Delaware County, was the worst, with 34 crashes and 29 injuries in accidents involving elderly drivers from 2008 through 2012, AAA said.

The road is home to both the Dunwoody Village retirement community and the Newtown Square shopping center.

Main Street in West Norriton Township, Montgomery County, was second, with 33 crashes and 31 injuries.

The other top "crash corridors" for seniors in area Pennsylvania counties were:

Philadelphia: Grant Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia, with 28 crashes and 30 injuries involving senior drivers.

Bucks: Route 132 (Street Road) in Warminster Township, with 31 crashes and 23 injuries.

Chester: Business Route 30 in East Caln Township, with 18 crashes, 15 injuries, and one death.

Data were not collected by AAA for South Jersey, but accident-location maps prepared by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) cited these "hot spots" for senior-involved crashes:

Camden County: Route 70 west of I-295 in Cherry Hill, and the intersection of Routes 38 and 73 in Maple Shade.

Gloucester County: Route 42 in Washington Township.

Burlington County: The intersection of Route 73 and I-295 in Mount Laurel.

"The top crash corridors are busy commercial highways, close to shops, senior centers, and residential areas," AAA said.

The auto club has joined with the DVRPC, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and county highway safety agencies in a task force to try to reduce the number of crashes involving elderly drivers.

The group is advocating for educational programs and engineering changes to make the crash corridors safer for older motorists, AAA said.

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