Document Detail


Motor-vehicle crash history and licensing outcomes for older drivers reported as medically impaired in Missouri.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19245882     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The identification and evaluation of medically impaired drivers is an important safety issue. Medical fitness to drive is applicable to all ages but is particularly salient for older adults. Voluntary procedures, whereby various professionals and family members may report medical fitness 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 crash involvement of reported drivers was 9.3% vs. 2.2% for controls--a fourfold difference. The crash involvement of reported drivers decreased rapidly after, indicating the impact of HB-1536 reporting with subsequent license revocation and to a lesser degree, mortality. Of the 4,100 reported individuals, 144 (3.5%) retained a driver's license after the process.
Authors:
Thomas M Meuser; David B Carr; Gudmundur F Ulfarsson
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't     Date:  2008-12-25
Journal Detail:
Title:  Accident; analysis and prevention     Volume:  41     ISSN:  1879-2057     ISO Abbreviation:  Accid Anal Prev     Publication Date:  2009 Mar 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-02-27     Completed Date:  2009-06-01     Revised Date:  2011-09-26    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  1254476     Medline TA:  Accid Anal Prev     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  246-52     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
University of Missouri-St. Louis, Gerontology Program, School of Social Work, 133-134 Bellerive Hall, 1 University Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63121, USA. meusert@umsl.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Accidents, Traffic / statistics & numerical data*
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Automobile Driver Examination / legislation & jurisprudence,  statistics & numerical data*
Cognition Disorders / diagnosis,  epidemiology*
Disability Evaluation*
Female
Geriatric Assessment
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Missouri / epidemiology
Prevalence
Psychomotor Disorders / diagnosis,  epidemiology*
Sex Distribution
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
K07 AG021164-05/AG/NIA NIH HHS; K07AG21164/AG/NIA NIH HHS; P50 AG005681-25S1/AG/NIA NIH HHS; P50 AG005681-26/AG/NIA NIH HHS; P50-AG05681/AG/NIA NIH HHS
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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