LOS ANGELES, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Senior drivers are less likely than younger drivers to cause accidents, according to a new study, local media reported on Wednesday.

    Drivers aged 65 and older are just one-third as likely as those of between 15 and 24 to cause auto accidents, according to a study by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.

    Researchers found that in 2001, people aged 65 and older accounted for about 15 percent of all licensed drivers but caused only about 7 percent of all accidents in the United States.

    By contrast, people aged 15 to 24 accounted for just 13 percent of all licensed drivers but caused 43 percent of all accidents.

    While driving ability declines with age for most people, those seniors who continue to drive appear to be safer drivers than the general public might think, said David Loughran, a RAND senior economist and professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School who is the lead author of the study.

    Seniors appear to make fairly sound decisions about when to reduce the amount they drive or stop driving altogether, Loughran said.

    "Not only do seniors drive much less than younger drivers, but they drive at safer times during the day and avoid poorer road conditions," he said.

    It is the youngest drivers who pose the greatest risk by far to traffic safety, showed the study.

    The study also finds that senior drivers are nearly seven times more likely than younger drivers to be killed in a two-car accident.

    Seniors who drive pose a much larger risk to themselves than to others, Loughran said.

    The study estimated accident risks by examining over 330,000 fatal traffic accidents in the United States between 1975 and 2003among drivers in three age groups: 15 to 24; 25 to 64; and 65 and older.