As the numbers and licensure rates of older people increase, so does the need to focus on ways of ensuring the safety of all road users without unduly restricting the mobility of older drivers. The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now conducting a coordinated research programme designed to identify the safety and mobility needs of older people, with the intent of assuring that both can be satisfied. Driving patterns and accident involvement of the elderly are reviewed, with emphasis on the role of medical conditions and functional limitations. Drivers who understand their own limitations tend to change their behaviour to accommodate declining capabilities. Those unaware of limitations tend not to take corrective action, placing them at higher risk of crashes. Research under way to differentiate these groups and categorize their performance is presented. There is evidence that older drivers as a group are not a risk to others based upon their number of crashes per licensed driver. (A)
Abstract