Medical Conditions and Driving: A Review of the Scientific Literature (1960-2000)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in cooperation with the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine sponsored an international review of the scientific literature on medical conditions that may affect driving skills. In addition, a meeting of medical and research specialists developed preliminary guidelines for physicians based on the literature review. This fact sheet summarizes a report on the literature review and resulting preliminary guidelines. The report provides a comprehensive and integrative review of the medical, epidemiological, and gerontological research on the effects of medical conditions and functional limitations on driving performance. Literature spans 40 years and includes over 500 citations. It is divided into 15 sections providing a brief overview of conditions or illnesses, prevalence information, a review of the driving literature relevant to the condition, and current fitness-to-drive guidelines from Canada and Australia. The preliminary physician guidelines in this report are based on the scientific literature review on medical conditions and driving, consideration of medical fitness-to-drive guidelines from Australia and Canada, and input from a meeting of experts in medical conditions and driving. The guidelines were developed to assist physicians in determining when patients have medical conditions that can affect their fitness-to-drive. While many conditions have the potential to impair driving, no one illness or condition suggests absolute cessation of driving. Rather, the presence of one or more illnesses should serve as a “red flag” that driving may be compromised and that further evaluation may be warranted.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.935ae205e29ac00baff82410dba046a0/?javax.portlet.tpst=0f20ab7a9032b29e6be0955e1891ef9a_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_0f20ab7a9032b29e6be0955e1891ef9a_viewID=detail_view&itemID=aee947c9cdba9010VgnVCM1000002c567798RCRD&orderTrafficTechSelect=3D&trafficTechYearSelect=2006&overrideViewName=Report
• Publication Date: 2005-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Pagination: 2p
• Serial:
  • Traffic Safety Facts - Traffic Tech
  • Issue Number: 307
  • Publisher: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Diseases and medical conditions; Drivers; Driving; Epidemiology; Guidelines; Literature reviews; Physicians
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01076481
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-043 926
• Files: HSL, TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 21 2007 1:53PM