Clinician's Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers 4th edition
Abstract
The main goal of the Clinician’s Guide
remains helping healthcare practitioners
prevent motor vehicle crashes and injury to
older adults. Motor vehicle injuries persist
as the leading cause of injury-related deaths
among 65- to 74-year-olds and are the
second leading cause (after falls) among 75-
to 84-year-olds. While traffic safety programs
have had partial success in reducing crash
rates for all drivers, the fatality rate for drivers
over age 65 has consistently remained high.
Increased comorbidities and frailty associated
with aging make it far more difficult to survive
a crash, and the expected massive increase
in the number of older adults on the road
is certain to lead to increased injuries and
deaths unless we can successfully intervene
to prevent harm
RPR Commentary
Guidance for how to assess a person's capacity to drive safely. James W. Mold, MD, MPH