Alzheimer's Disease and Fitness to Drive

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, affects over five million Americans, almost all age 65 years and older with about ½ million early onset, younger than age 65. Impairments in memory, attention, motor activities, perception, and judgment are hallmark features of dementia, placing cognitively impaired drivers at risk for crashes, becoming lost, and poor performance on a variety of critical driving tasks. Complicating the recognition of dementia is that few people with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders have a diagnosis of the condition in their medical records. Thus, it is not sufficient to address the concerns related to dementia and driving only as they relate to persons who already have a diagnosis. Impairments in critical driving skills may be among the first indications of the disease for the individual and concerned family members. Studies have demonstrated that compared to the general driving population, drivers with dementia are at an increased risk for unsafe motor vehicle operation. Becoming lost in familiar areas is one of the most commonly reported concerns. In addition to geographic disorientation, other red flags for unsafe driving include incorrect turning, impaired signaling, decreased comprehension of traffic signs, and lane deviation. Thirty to 45 percent of persons with dementia continue to drive. Reports on the length of time that persons with dementia continue to drive vary from about three years following diagnosis to over five years. Best estimates are that about 50 percent of drivers with dementia continue to drive more than three years after the onset of symptoms. The concern is not simply that individuals with dementia should or should not drive, but that driving skills predictably worsen. There is a need for a shift toward a public health paradigm that shares the scope of responsibility among the health care system, the licensing authorities, and the community. The role of each stakeholder needs to be strengthened and connected. The perspective with regard to strengthening the licensing authority is offered in this paper. Specifically, recommendations are offered for enhancing medical advisory board and registry activities.

• Record URL:
  http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/LPWorkshopProceedings.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

  607 14th Street, NW, Suite 201
  Washington, DC    20005
• Authors:
  • Silverstein, Nina M
• Conference:
  • AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Conference
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2007-12-6 to 2007-12-7
• Publication Date: 2008-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 73-87
• Monograph Title: 2008 North American License Policies Workshop Proceedings

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Abilities; Aged drivers; Alzheimer's disease; Cognitive impairment; Comprehension; Driver licensing; Driving; Fitness to drive; Highway safety; Traffic safety
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01105054
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 24 2008 1:34PM