01123170

Component

The identification and evaluation of medically impaired drivers is an important safety issue. The concept of medical fitness to drive is applicable to all ages but is particularly salient for older adults. Voluntary procedures to address medical fitness, whereby various professionals and family members may report concerns to State driver license bureaus, are common in the United States. This paper examines traffic crashes of drivers reported during 2001–2005 under the State of Missouri’s voluntary reporting law (House Bill HB-1536) and the resulting licensing outcomes. Missouri’s law is non-specific as to age, but the mean age of reported drivers was 80. Reports were submitted by police officers (30%), license office staff (27%), physicians (20%), family members (16%), and others (7%). The most common medical condition was dementia/cognitive (45%). Crash history for reported drivers was higher than that of controls, dating back to 1993, reaching a peak in 2001 when the share of reported drivers in crashes was 9.3% vs. 2.2% for controls—a fourfold difference. The crash share of reported drivers decreased rapidly after, indicating the impact of reporting, license revocation, and mortality. Of the 4,100 cases studied, 144 (3.5%) retained a valid driver’s license after the process.

01120148

09-0162

English

16p

2009

Transportation Research Board 88th Annual Meeting

DVD

Figures (5) ; References (31) ; Tables (2)

Aged drivers; Case studies; Driver licensing; Driving cessation; Health care; Impaired drivers; Physical fitness; Safety; Traffic safety

Mortality rates

Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2009 Paper #09-0162

TRIS, TRB

Jan 30 2009 4:24PM