The authors designed a questionnaire-based study to determine the risk of auto crashes among Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients who continued to drive after the onset of AD, compared with normal age-matched control subjects and other drivers' statistical records. The authors conclude that (1) the existing evidence suggests that AD patients who drive present a slightly increased risk for crashes compared with drivers of all ages but a lower risk than young unimpaired drivers, especially males; (2) during the first 2 to 3 years after the onset of AD, the magnitude of risk of crashes is well within the accepted risk for other registered drivers; and (3) there is marked variability in the degree of disability due to AD and its rate of progression. Because of this, direct tests of driving competence - rather than the diagnosis of AD per se - should be considered as the criterion for continued licensure to drive, with sufficiently frequent retesting to anticipate the expected decline over years. (A)
Abstract