II. Epidemiology
III. History suggestive of unsafe driving
- Crashes, near-crashes, or dents in the car body
- Disoriented in familiar neighborhoods
- Missed or misinterpreted street signs
- Lack of awareness of surrounding traffic
- Misjudging speed, distance, or driving situations
- Frequent traffic violation citations or tickets
IV. Risk Factors: Medications that impair driving ability
- Benzodiazepines
- Opioid Analgesics
- Antihistamines
- Drugs causing Hypoglycemia (e.g. Insulin, Sulfonylurea)
- Ray (1993) Clin Geriatr Med 9:413-38 [PubMed]
V. Evaluation
- Sensory evaluation
- Visual Acuity
- Hearing acuity
- Motor evaluation
- Get Up and Go Test
- Motor Strength and range of motion
- Cognitive Testing
- Clock Drawing Test
- Trails B Test >180 seconds
- Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR)
VI. Other evaluation tools
- Indications
- Initial evaluation of driving safety
- Repeat testing every 6-12 months in high risk patient
- Evaluators
- Road Testing
- Occupational Therapy
- In-person driver's license renewal
- Referral to department of motor vehicles
VII. Resources
- American Occupation Therapy Association
- American Medical Association
- NTSA Injury Prevention in Older Road Users