Voluntary declaration of a medical condition by drivers in Quebec

As is the case in most North American jurisdictions, Quebec requires drivers to self-report any medical conditions that may affect driving. Doubts have been expressed as to the willingness of drivers to self-report medical conditions when doing so may have a negative effect upon their permit status. In 2008, the Commission d'Acces a l'Information gave the Societe de l'Assurance Automobile du Quebec (SAAQ) permission to create a databank incorporating medical data on all the drivers in Quebec with the data already held by the SAAQ in order to be able to study the effects of the severity of drivers' medical conditions upon crash risk. The resulting databank contains billing data for physicians in addition to hospitalisation and medications data obtained from the Regie d'Assurance Maladie du Quebec (RAMA) and the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) for all drivers aged 16 or more for the period 1 July 2003 - 30 June 2006 for whom a positive relationship with the medical data could be established. The objective of this phase of the Quebec study is to determine if the drivers who have been diagnosed with a medical condition that is included in the SAAQ medical questionnaire report their medical condition to the SAAQ as required by law. Additionally, for the drivers over 75 years, their voluntary reporting of their medical conditions will also be compared with the information supplied by physicians during their compulsory age-based medical reviews. The results show that there is serious underreporting of medical conditions considered to negatively affect driving by drivers using the Quebec voluntary declaration form. Underreporting of these conditions ranges from 84% to 99%. At least 85% of voluntary declarations concern conditions that have little or no effect upon permit status and 79.59% are to the effect that the driver wears spectacles or contact lenses to drive. Many drivers with a condition that may influence driving report their more benign conditions while omitting to report the condition that could affect their permit status.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9783781218611
• Authors:
  • Dow, J
  • Turmel, E
• Publication Date: 2012-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 93-100
• Monograph Title: Fit to drive. Proceedings of the 6th International Traffic Expert Congress. Barcelona, April 25th - 27th 2012
• Serial:
  • SCHRIFTENREIHE FAHREIGNUNG
  • Publisher: KIRSCHBAUM VERLAG GMBH

Subject/Index Terms

• ITRD Terms: 8018: Canada; 8525: Conference; 8614: Database; 1772: Driver; 2226: Driving aptitude; 2134: Illness; 8555: Information documentation; 1568: Insurance; 2137: Medication
• Subject Areas: I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01506560
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt)
• ISBN: 9783781218611
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Feb 5 2014 9:47AM